Wildflowers and Weeds: A Guide in Full Color

An ideal field guide for all nature enthusiasts, this book presents a unique approach to identifying the vast array of wild plant life in our environment. The reader is aided not only by color photos and other visual clues, but also by ecological ones telling shy a plant is found in its particular habitat. Because it is important to understand plant neighbors in relation to each other, the 'weeds' so often seen along with wildflowers, are included here. To simplify plant identification in the field, in addition to more than 650 color photos, an innovative method of visual classification provides a practical means of recognizing individual plants without the need to memorize technical data and without sacrificing scientific accuracy. In this new method, a system of 11 Family-Group charts allows you to determine family by matching its visible structure with the chart...such as number of petals, shape of leaves, and arrangement of sepals. A pictorial glossary shows at a glance what structural elements to look for, the various arrangements of these elements, and what chart to refer to for each combination of these traits. This books covers the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and Canada, an area where four great plant provinces flow together and produce a rich diversity of flora.