A Field Guide to Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains (Natural History Guides) [Paperback]

Carl Schreier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1996 | Series: Field Guide Ser

Best selling guide to the most interesting wildflowers found from grassland to alpine habitats along the Rocky Mountain cordillera. Each wildflower is beautifully illustrated with a color photograph and a drawing to help in identification of difficult and similar species. Stunning photographs lavishly illustrate this comprehensive wildflower guide.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Homestead Pub (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0943972132
• ISBN-13: 978-0943972138
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,651,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful, Compact Guidebook - Worth the Higher Cost, August 22, 2003

By 

Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Field Guide to Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains (Natural History Guides) (Paperback)

Over a period of six days we hiked 41 miles on Teton trails across open stretches in Jackson Hole and through dark forests and over high mountain passes. Everywhere we saw wildflowers - not the same wildflowers, but a changing mix reflecting differences in microclimate, especially as we climbed above the tree line.

Fortunately, my wife was well-prepared and carried a copy of A Field Guide to Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains, an excellent guidebook with full-color photos of 300 species of wildflowers scattered throughout the Rocky Mountains of North America. Only rarely did we encounter flowers that posed identification problems. (Useful hint: stopping to examine a particular wildflower is a perfect excuse for an unscheduled, but desperately needed rest break, especially at the higher elevations.)

Many guidebooks group the color photos together; the descriptive text is elsewhere and the reader is continually paging back and forth. The arrangement in Carl Schreier's field guide is especially useful for the hiker: the text and photo are on the same page making it possible to look at the wildflower, find the photo, and even read the text while continuing to move along the trail.

Ink drawings of each plant accompany the color photos to make identification easier. The relatively short overview (about 15 pages) highlights key anatomical features that help differentiate individual families and species of wildflowers. The detailed glossary of technical terms is quite helpful.

Schreier's guidebook (second edition, 2002) is widely available on the internet. Like many field guides, it is fairly expensive; used copies (1996 edition) can also be purchased.

In previous years we used guidebooks authored by Richard J. Shaw (Wildflowers of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks - ISBN 0-937512-05-2, and Plants of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks - ISBN 0-937512-02-8. They contain substantially fewer photos, but are less expensive.