National Audubon Society Field Guide to California (Turtleback)

~ (Author), Fred Heath (Author), Amy Leventer (Author), Richard Keen (Author), Wendy B. Zomlefer (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

California natives and visitors alike will appreciate this compact, photo-filled overview of the Golden State's natural history. Along with a summary of geography, geology, weather, and wildlife, there is a field guide to the identification of 1,000 of the state's unique inhabitants, including the smallest butterfly in the world (the Western Pygmy Blue), the largest animal (the Blue Whale), and one of the largest living single organisms (the Giant Sequoia). What's more, some of the best places to see this diversity of flora and fauna--the many parks, preserves, beaches, forests, islands, and wildlife sanctuaries--are listed with detailed information. To flip through the guide's pages is to envision endless possibilities for scenic and educational field trips, from fog-shrouded Point Reyes National Seashore to the barren salt pan of Death Valley National Park.

Product Description

Filled with concise descriptions and stunning photographs, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to California belongs in the home of every California resident and in the suitcase or backpack of every visitor. This compact volume contains:

An easy-to-use field guide for identifying 1,000 of the state's wildflowers, trees, mushrooms, mosses, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, butterflies, mammals, and much more;

A complete overview of California's natural history, covering geology, wildlife habitats, ecology, fossils, rocks and minerals, clouds and weather patterns and night sky;

An extensive sampling of the area's best parks, preserves, beaches, forests, islands, and wildlife sanctuaries, with detailed descriptions and visitor information for 50 sites and notes on dozens of others.

The guide is packed with visual information--the 1,500 full-color images include more than 1,300 photographs, 14 maps, and 16 night-sky charts, as well as 150 drawings explaining everything from geological processes to the basic features of different plants and animals.

For everyone who lives or spends time in California, there can be no finer guide to the area's natural surroundings than the National Audubon Society Field Guide to California.

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Product Details

• Turtleback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Knopf (May 26, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679446788
• ISBN-13: 978-0679446781
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #175,034 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When Packing Six Books Simply Won't Do, May 29, 2000

By	Robert Derenthal "bucherwurm" (California United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a fairly nifty one volume compendium of the trees, flowers, birds, animals, fish, insects, reptiles, geology, and even weather systems of California. I've got some fairly comprehensive books on each of those subjects, but unfortunately do not have someone to carry this library with me on field trips. What to do. Well this one book is intended to solve the problem of lowering the weight of a backpack. It goes without saying, however, that you can't condense a few thousand pages into 430 pages. Stuff is missing. Yet it is an excellent, durable little volume to carry with you into the woods or the desert, even though you will periodically become frustrated because that peculiar little beetle that you just saw isn't in it.

The book is filled with generally high quality pictures and descriptions of most of the things that you can bump into when wandering about this glorious state. What are some of its weaknesses? I found the section on trees to be difficult to use. Generally my other tree books show pictures of the whole tree, plus close-ups of its leaves, cones, and flowers. In this book you see the trunk of a red alder, the flowers of a pacific dogwood, and the leaves of a pacific willow. Heaven help you if you come upon a dogwood when it isn't flowering. The wildflower section also seems to have no organization. The flowers are not grouped by color, region or any other system that I can discern. Sometimes you question the choices made by the author in determining what to include. He certainly could have skipped the item on the common mosquito, and substituted some more interesting, and less known California insect. After all we don't want outlanders to know that we have mosquitoes here. One nice extra feature is several seasonal star maps for times when you are out at night.

All in all its well worth the money if you're going hiking and want something light to carry.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Park Ranger Approved, August 19, 2001

By	"nermal7" (Sonoma County, CA) - See all my reviews

For all of you that are looking for an excellent field guide...this is the one for all of California. As a park ranger I carry this little book in my bag where ever I go. It offers very sharp and detailed photos, scientific names, family or class names, and a breif description of the subject. The best thing about this field guide is that it covers all kinds of animals, plants, trees, and sea life. It even has an overview of climates, seasons, sky charts, history, and areas of California. Even at the end of the book there is lots of information about some of the National and State parks within California. This is a great all-round basic field guide for anyone at any level. Enjoy!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Companion on those long Journeys in the Wild, September 7, 2001

By	"hiltoneous" (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Whether you are an outdoor enthusiast or a weekend warrior, the Audobon's guide to California will instill an appreciation of the natural wonders of California. This easy to use guide allows even the most uninitiated to identify and learn about California's native and introduced species. The only small problem with this book is that it does not contain the small habitat maps that any of you who know Audobon Field Guides, have come to appreciate. This book along with "A Natural History of California" by Allan Schoenherr, provide a great introduction to California's diversity.