Customer Reviews

Wildflowers of Minnesota: Field Guide

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book has arranged the plants according to the color of their flowers, the most obvious characteristic. The book is sectioned into areas for all colors (white, yellow, blue, pink, red, etc.). If a plant flowers in more than one color, it is shown in each color area. The color photos show excellent examples of the plant. The only drawback to using this book would be if the plant is not flowering. Other plant characteristics are listed with the pictures, but it would be difficult to locate a specific species if the flower color was unknown.

This is a good book for beginners. Identification is based on flower color, which is easy to follow but sometimes ambiguous (e.g., what Tekiela considers pink, I might consider purple). I was able to quickly and easily learn many plant species using this book.

Now that I know am pretty knowledgeable of Minnesota flora, I don't use this book as much. He doesn't have all the wildflowers of Minnesota, and additional details I would like to learn about each species are missing.

I recommend this book to beginners. It is much easier to use and less intimidating than the average botany book. More advanced botanists will be better off with something more detailed.

I am into wildflowers and in the process of converting my yard into native plants along with my organic produce and fruits. I use this book all the time, along with two others. I would rate all three as 5 stars but this one is my favorite.

I have found this guide to be very complete and informative. The only downfall is the poor binding. I have bought several copies for friends.

When taking a walk - I use to marvel at the many varities of little wild flowers I'd see along the road. Then I started bringing one of each home just to count the many different ones. Now - with this wonderful book of photos - I can identify each one. There really is "no such thing as a weed".

Love this book! A must have for all nature lovers. Wildflowers of Minnesota: Field Guide

This is a great guild for anyone looking to learn about the wildflowers they see growing in their backyard or on hikes in the woods and prairies. I also like the fact the author identifies which flowers are native and which are not. There are great color photo's associated with each flower which I love. I have never had much luck identifying plants with the black and white drawn images.

Unfortunately there is no "zero stars" option for reviews of this monstrous disgrace to field guides. My criticism is two fold. First, this book is a carbon copy of every book Mr. Takiela has ever written, just like his bird book series, and are the same regardless of the state mentioned in the title. Oh sure, he mixes it up a little, but the pictures are the same and the books have the same generic blandness in the text that no one dishes out like Mr. Takiela. A botanical field guide should show the unique, as well as the common features of a state's flora and should contain detailed location and habitat information. None of Takiela's books have this. Rather, his descriptions and comments could refer as much to my backyard here in Missouri as they could what Takiela perceives as the natural communities of Minnesota. He and his publisher are simply cookie cutting books and dispensing them upon an audiance that might, had they not bought his book, found something of interest and inspiration in nature. My second criticism, which rivals the first and further exemplifies the concern and craftsmanship of both writter and publisher, is the extremely poor quaility of the book. Fresh off the shelf the spine cracks and splits as it is opened. After one day in the field, the crusty inflexible glue used to hold the heavily glossed pages together had splintered and chunks of pages became loose and the edges of the book no longer "flip-able". By a second day of use the pages were completely free and ready to be lost or further damaged. This from a user that charishes and collects botany books.
Bottomline, I am in awe of this book or rather I am in awe of all Takiela books for their ability to negetively transend quality and integrity and reduce an otherwise noble pursuit to a complete waste of time and money. Thank you, Mr. Takeila for lowering the bar.
If a nice field guide to plants in your area is of interest to you, the reader of my ramblings, may I suggest a Falcon Guide or any publisher that seeks reputable botanist to construct meaningful works. While it can be difficult to find a comprehensive field guide, anything is better than the Takiela series.