Identifying wildflowers became a little easier for me this summer because of a new entry in my small arsenal of field guides.
Wildflowers of Texas (Timber Press) is by Michael Eason. It features almost 1200 wildflowers in its over 500 pages. Wildflowers are shown three to a page with a photo and short description.
There is a nice introduction with discussions of eco-regions and plant families and an index. But of course the main thing is the plant identification section. Plant descriptions are arranged first by flower color, with the edges of the pages tipped in color. Within the five color categories (white to green, yellow to orange, red to brown, pink to purple, purple to blue) they are arranged alphabetically by family, then genus and species.
Before going further I should probably acknowledge that the author Michael Eason is a board member of the Native Plant Society of Texas. However I don’t think that influences my evaluation of the book.
The soft cover book is easy to carry in a backpack or car console. The arrangement by flower color works great with identification when flowers are in bloom, which of course is when the majority of the general population is most likely to want to identify wildflowers in the field or roadsides.
I own a half dozen different wildflower field guides myself and I’ve used even more over the years. Even in this day of smart phone apps I am more likely to use a book in the field if its handy. I can’t always depend on a signal in the places I go. This new book is likely to become a favorite for keeping in my truck. The size is just right, the binding is sturdy, and the photos and the printing are good quality. The number of plants included is more than in other field guides I have.
You might be able to catch Michael on his book tour and get a copy directly from him or purchase at your favorite bookstore. If you purchase from Amazon with this link, the Society will receive a small commission.