Plants and Trees Books

For Tennessee and adjacent parts of Georgia, North Carolina etc. there is probably no better book for keying out woody plants. The keys are very good and easily worked. The extensive glossary defines very well all of the botanical terms used in the book. The text and the images (in separate sections) are organized alphabetically by genus. There is an index of common names (for those so inclined). The images are excellent quality photographs of freshly pressed botanical specimens that often include detailed insets of important key characters. The book is authoritative and complete and should be on the shelf of every serious student and interested amateur.

Great buy; the book arrived in a timely fashion and as promised.

If not, don't buy this book. While it may be a fine reference for botonists, it is of no use to the average person. All the plates are listed with the Latin names only, no cross reference to the common English names of the trees and shrubs. Also, there are no plates, or pictures, of the tree bark, making identification in the winter impossible. This book is of no use to anyone trying to identify trees and shrubs in their local neighborhood.

If you are looking for a good overview of flower photography this is your book. If you want some good meaty ideas on techniques and equipment, look elsewhere.

I bought this book looking for specific ideas on equipment usage and for killer photos. In many of the photos the flower itself appears, in my opinion, overexposed. Hopefully this is an artifact of the printing process. In any case the end result is that some of the printed photos do not meet the quality standard set by other photo books.

The comments on exposure scattered throughout the book imply that the author did not use TTL (through-the-lens) spot metering. Today it is hard to buy a 35mm camera without some sort of TTL spot function The author's lack of specificity in this case can greatly mislead those who are just beginning flower photography. The author's comments apply perfectly--to full screen metering only. Whay chaps me is that the author says nothing about the type of metering used. This, in a nutshell, is my biggest squawk about this book. Too many generalities. And if you want to do the best you can with what you have, you need specifics.

There are some good ideas like carry some string to tie back branches. I especially like the trick of converting the camera to an incedent light meter. Elegant.

Insofar as equipment utilization, the subject of multiple flash was barely mentioned. Nor was, unless I missed it, the idea of using a 24mm lens plus your smallest (12mm) extension tube for close up in the face shots.

Like another reviewer, I was a bit let down with this one. It does have some very nice pictures and does give some very nice tips if reference to photographing flowers, but skirts around the technical problems. If you need a book addressing equipments, methodiology and technical facts, better looks elsewhere. That being said, I did pick up several good techniques from it, i.e. tricks of the trade, so It was helpful in that aspect. Luckly, the book, bought used, does not cost all that much so there is really no reason not to add it to your photography book collection.

This wonderful book is packed with gorgeous flower photos and excellently presented practical information. It will appeal to anyone who wants to photograph flowers or who just appreciates them.

I like the way every point is demonstrated by an actual flower photograph. No space is wasted with pictures of equipment or other distractions. Still there is a wealth of technical information clearly & logically presented.

Each photo illustrates a specific concept of photographic technique and composition, described succinctly in the caption and in detail in the associated text. Information on the flowers and location is also included.

The book also chronicles the author's worldwide travels as a commercial flower photographer. Various business opportunities are explored and lists of sources are references are provided as well.

I am trying to track down my family heritage. If you know anything about the Peddie clan's expansion in the United States. I would wager that your middle name is Albert. I you are interested E-mail me.

I ordered this book without having seen it before, and was diasappointed at how outdated so much of the information is. For example, most of the references are 1960s and 1970s, many much earlier than that, and practically nothing after the mid-1980s. The illustrations are overrated in the description, most are poor quality B&W and the vegetation map is nothing to get excited about. If you want plant lists of the different vegetation types, you get that, and the information is probably accurate in that respect. However, I returned my copy for the refund!

This is an organized, valuable resource for environmental design or to just learn more about one's surroundings in the state of New Mexico...especially the high deserts and uplands.

It did leave out the serious Chihuahuan Desert region floral elements of the Pecos and Canadian drainages of northeastern NM, though. Why do so few gather information for that unique area? Also, some of my colleagues and I have wondered if it wouldn't be better to differentiate between Plains Sand Scrub and Mesa Sand Scrub, given one is on the milder, western part of the state and the other is on the more extreme, eastern part of NM. Just my pet peaves!

But quite refreshing to see all of this easy-to-understand information, as the only huge dissapointment is that the book isn't longer, and that the maps aren't even more detailed! A worthwhile read!

For both the novice and the expert, this is a great book to have while traveling, walking in the woods or biking. Even in the classroom studying the native plants, this easy to read reference will add to the education of students. Referenced by color of flower, there are over 100's of photos of plants in their native habitate along with pictures of their leaves. There is more than just a botanical description. Whimsy folklore about the plants will enhance the readers enjoyment. Ever wonder why the forget-me-not got its name and why the Thistle is the national Scottish symbol? For a quick reference and review of native flowers you will be glad you got ROADSIDE PLANTS AND FLOWERS.

good photographs and information for fast identification of the familiar plants we see so often---and others not so familiar. The author includes interesting information about the specimens making it more interesting than the usual botanical guides. Very useful to an out-of-state traveler

This was a disappointment, especially when the Title promises so much more. Standard Audubon's still provide the best. We wished more unfortunately received much the less

Book hard to find - but Amazon has on used book list. Order revised edition, think it is 1990 version. Lots of basic help for those of us taming or creating our own woodlands gardens and trying to sort through what we have growing wild, what to edit, what is invasive, placement for sun, soil, water conditions. Written in the 1940s and updated by hands-on garden experts Uof W and Seattle. I view it as a core reference.

Very comprehensive, detailed, informative, and practical guide/reference source for information on trees and shrubs in the Pacific Northwest. From the amount of information in the book probably only very little is missing. Even though it is small print, very dense, very few illustrations, it is nevertheless very readable. Very well done.

Although the information in the book is detailed, more pictures are needed to give some idea how these trees and shrubs might actually enhance a garden. The photos contained in the book are sparse and are entirely in black and white. Pictures in books? Generally not needed, but in a gardening book, good graphics are essential.

what a delight. very informative. pictures are incredible. easy to understand and follow. great for school age children doing reports.

A great book! Very informative - there is a lot to learn about tree identification in Mississippi.

The idea of a specialized book for Mississippi trees is very worthwhile. Many of us first learned tree identification using the free booklet, Mississippi Trees, by Clair Brown, obtained from the Mississippi Forestry Commission.
Unfortunately, this book is less useful than that little booklet. The photographs are of extremely poor quality. The shots of the trees are fuzzy, sometimes overexposed, and frequently are so close up they render the silhouette unidentifiable. The specimen shots of leaves are generally made on a black background and the dark green leaves often fade into the picture. Photos of bark aren't much better.
The text accompanying each tree is limited. Again, the free booklet has a better description of the trees. The only advantage this book has over the free booklet is that it contains more species and is printed on glossy paper.
It was a good effort, and would have benefited greatly from better photography.

Although the plant descriptions are good, as is some of the other ancillary information, the line drawings are downright terrible-- terrible to the point that some plants are unidentifiable in the field based on the drawings. Admittedly, the photographic plates have some nice photographs of some of the species covered in the book, but given the limited photos and the fact that they are confined to plates and not adjacent to the plant descriptions, I expected much more. This is a decent book, but its drawbacks are too great.

I am restoring 72 acres of wetlands on South Whidbey Island, WA... We have just put in over 4,800 plants, 59 species, as part of a 500-year plan to restore the property to mature old growth and promote maximum biodiversity. This is our guide for identifying and learning all the trees, shrubs, and flowers.

I am restoring 72 acres of wetlands on South Whidbey Island, WA - Earth Sanctuary. We have just put in over 4,800 plants, 59 species, as part of a 500-year plan to restore the property to mature old growth and promote maximum biodiversity. This is our guide for identifying and learning all the trees, shrubs, and flowers.

I agree that this field guide is for the knowledgable, but if you take the time to learn the termanology, you will find there is no better book. It is not nearly as technical as "Guide to Vascular Plants of the Blue Ridge" yet far exceeds that standards of Peterson's or Audubon.

As a city boy just relocating to the country I was looking for a user friendly book to identify the native plants on our land. This book is written by and for much more knowledgable people. While there is a long and detailed introduction I don't have the knack or patients to work thorough it.

The illustrations are pen and ink black and white drawings, and are barely helpful.

Although this does give a more recent treatment of Texas orchids than Liggio's Wild Orchids of Texas, this guide is somewhat limited in its utility as a field guide. As stated by other reviewers there are significant errors in geography on the distribution maps for many species, and so potential readers should be advised to consult other sources for more accurate distribution information for some species (particularly the Hexalectris, as mentioned elsewhere). Keys and general information in the text are of greater use, and Part 3 on References and Resources contains information that can help in difficult issues of taxonomy, habitat and chronology. However, I would recommend in future editions a greater care in documenting distribution to make this a more accurate technical resource.

Overall a very interesting book, with lots of good information on taxonomy, history, photographs, and discussions on a number of topics. It does, however, have one real drawback - geography. It starts with the opening chapter where it states "...many of the 252 counties of Texas.", but there are 254 counties in Texas. Then, the first orchid I looked up was the truly rare Hexalectris grandiflora, which it states was recently found near Dallas (which is true, and in Dallas County), but the distribution map indicates a location three counties to the west. So, if you are interested in distribution, you might want to have another reference handy. It is still a book worth having.

This book is written by a British writer for a British audience. It is of limited value in the US. Many of the trees shown are not available here. The language is of course British and the meanings of some of the words used are not readily apparent to an American reader. The book does contain good information (for a Brit).

This books looks to be an excellent choice for someone having difficulty deciding what sort of trees to plant. It's got what you want - pictures of lots of different trees, advice on tree shapes, sizes, climate soils etc. Also nicely presented.