Description: An ingenious new key system for quick, positive field identification of wildflowers, flowering shrubs and vines in paperback for the first time. 1,075 drawings, 175 in color.
Details: It's a great book for serious wildflower lovers, but it's somewhat hard to follow. As a non-professional plant lover I found the book useful, but had a difficult time finding the info I needed without a lot of page turning.
Review Summary: You will like this book
Date: 2008-07-22
Details: Although this fieldbook at first seems a first cousin to the Peterson guide it differs in one very significant way -- it has a key which even those who never took (or don't remember) Plant Taxonomy 390 can use without frustration-- what does "hispid" mean anyway? Anyone can key a plant to at least a short list of probables without difficulty. And the drawings (which I usually prefer to photographs) are clean and clear. My approach (having had Plant Taxonomy many years ago) is to have lots of books with lots of pictures. This book is a very welcome addition to my collection.
Review Summary: Highly recommended
Date: 2008-05-09
Details: If you are looking to identify wildflowers of the northeast, this is the best pocket field guide out there. It includes more species than other pocket field guides and uses a systematic approach of identification.
It may take a little practice to get a handle on the system, but once you do, you will be identifying wildflowers in lickety-split time. There will be no more leafing through 50+ pages of yellow flowers to find the one you're looking at. This book will walk you through a key that will take you directly to the page your flower is on.
For those of you who like "pretty" photographic field guides, I recommend purchasing one of those as a sidekick to your Newcomb's. When I lead wildflower walks, I carry my Newcomb's with me, but I also carry a National Audubon field guide. This way, if I find a plant that isn't yet in bloom, I can show the participants a photograph of it.
Review Summary: Only for Northeast USA wildflowers!
Date: 2008-03-27
Details: This is a nice system for systematically identifying a wildflower, BUT it only covers the Northeast from Wisconsin down to Kentucky over to Virginia and up to Maine.
Review Summary: RI Master Gardener Advanced Education
Date: 2007-10-17
Details: As the RI Master Gardener Advanced Education Coordinator, I have used this book for two years in workshops delivered to our membership. The "Locator Key" and identification system is easy to use (easier than using the weed identification systems) and the drawings and descriptions are clear. Would recommend to anyone interested in identifying wildflowers or "weeds."
out of 39 Reviews
