Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Books

It’s never too late to get some books for Christmas. Here are two excellent choices for gifts:

swneSpring Wildflowers of the Northeast: A Natural History, by Carol Gracie. Gracie, a reader of this blog, profiles 30 species of wildflowers (with variations) that herald the spring in our woodlands. The lovely (Spring Beauty, Lady’s Slipper) and the strange (Squawroot, Skunk Cabbage) — categories of our own devising, of course — are included. Gorgeous photographs illustrate the text, which discusses the taxonomy, history, lore, and cultural significance of these ephemeral blooms. As no flower is an island, these species accounts are also full of the animals that pollinate them, eat them, and spread them. A glossary and reference section round out the book.

botanyA handsome addition to the gardener’s shelf: Practical Botany for Gardeners by Geoff Hodge. Sumptuously illustrated. In addition to explaining over 3,000 botanical terms, the book offers short profiles of 14 botanists and botanical illustrators. One minor caveat, it was originally published in the UK, so some of the examples may be exotic.

Other books noted here on the blog this year:
The Unfeathered Bird
The Warbler Guide
The Old Ways and Wildwood
Life Along The Delaware Bay
The Forest Unseen

mthew

3 responses to “Books”

  1. Ms. Carol Gracie

    Matthew,

    Thanks so much for mentioning my book as an appropriate gift for your readers. People are not often thinking spring when snow covers the ground, but I think it’s an ideal book to browse through on a wintery day and dream about flowers to come.

    I’m curious about the other book as well. I was disappointed to see that Amazon doesn’t offer “look inside” for that title. I’ll try my (one remaining) local bookstore.

    Have a great year. I’m enjoying your posts and have passed the information about joining it to several friends.

    Carol

    Reply
    1. mthew

      Thanks, Carol. Happy holidays!

      Reply
  2. Hepatica | Backyard and Beyond

    […] Some interesting taxonomic issues raised by this one: The genus name for this spring ephemeral used to be Hepatica and some still think it is. Hepatica, meanwhile, is used as the common name; it’s also called Liverleaf or Liverwort. I’m not sure which species, A. americana or A. acutiloba, this particular one is (or is that H. american or H. acutiloba)? [I’m taking this info from Carol Gracie’s Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast.] […]

    Reply

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