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--Apple-Mail-2-245131938 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I also have been using Newcomb's Guide, having found a copy of the out- of-print hardcover version on eBay for less than a new soft-cover version. I refer often to the new Flora of Nova Scotia, which is way over- priced ($70 plus all the tax when I bought mine), and has crude black- and-white sketches which are of only limited utility. Much better black-and-white drawings are found in the ponderous, three-volume classic New Britton and Brown Illustrated Flora, either the current (much overpriced) or the older edition (available used for about $45- $60). This latter work is highly technical, and uses standard botanical terminology, which is precise but requires considerable linguistic effort on the part of the user. Maybe you have always wanted to learn another language, and won't mind. I take the shortcut of making a quick identification (usually to the genus) using a simpler book, and then checking the New Britton and Brown for final identification, because I know that it probably has all the species. A drawback of all these books is that they assume that if you are looking at a flowering plant, it is in bloom; but of course, this is true only part of the time. I use frequently the Peterson field guide volume on wildflowers, and though it is less technically precise and comprehensive than Newcomb's, it is fast, and can be checked against other references to confirm your identification. The Peterson book is also overpriced, but used copies are easy to find on eBay or elsewhere. To help me learn what is around, I started making myself a guide to the plants found on my own property. After a few years, I have about finished it (except for the grasses), using my own photographs for most of the illustrations. One thing I learned is that a huge proportion of the commoner wildflowers in Nova Scotia are aliens, unwisely or carelessly introduced over the years, mainly from Europe. Some of them are real pests, like the dreaded and invincible Mouse-Ear Hawkweed. On 31 Oct 2008, at 4:21 PM, James W. Wolford wrote: > I know lots of naturalists who are big fans of Newcomb's Wildflower > Guide -- it will disappoint your wish for lots of colour > illustrations, but actually in some ways the line drawings are > better -- it has a KEY SYSTEM which, when learned (very simple, > involving flower parts and leaf shapes mainly), is quite simple to > follow and is field-tested (copyright 1977 and never revised, as fas > as I know). Beware, of course, that it is for northeastern North > America, thus you will also need access to the latest Roland's Flora > of Nova Scotia (1998?) by Marian Zinck/Munro, who is at the N.S. > Museum of Nat. Hist. in Halifax, 1747 Summer St. Roland's Flora can > be found in all N.S. public libraries and high school libraries; > also the much older Roland and Smith's Flora of N.S. can still be > found for sale in some bookstores for about $20 or less and is much > more portable than is Zinck's 2-volume, large-format tome. > > If you want lots of colour illustrations, try either the Nat. > Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers -- not sure of exact > title, but is a very good value for the money -- illustrations are > mostly good photos. Also the Golden Guide to Wildflowers (not the > small one) is not a bad guide either with lots of good painted > illustrations. > > Hope this helps beyond Lance's answer. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville. > > Begin forwarded message: > >> From: "Laviolette, Lance (EXP)" <lance.laviolette@lmco.com> >> Date: October 31, 2008 1:24:58 PM ADT >> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >> Subject: [NatureNS] Plant ID book was "New York Aster flowers?" >> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >> >> Steve Shaw wrote: >> >>> Nobody suggested what would be a good Eastern N. America >>> plant ID book to buy, with lots of colour pictures. Any >>> recommendations? >> >> Steve, as a casual botanist such as yourself, the two books that I >> use >> that fit your description are the following: >> >> - "A Field Guide to Wildflowers : Northeastern and North-Central >> North >> America (Peterson Field Guides) by Margaret McKenny (Author), Roger >> Tory >> Peterson (Illustrator, Series Editor) >> - Newcomb's Wildflower Guide by Lawrence Newcomb (Author), Gordon >> Morrison (illustrator) >> >> Both should be readily available. >> >> All the best, >> >> Lance > --Apple-Mail-2-245131938 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">I also have been using = Newcomb's Guide, having found a copy of the out-of-print hardcover = version on eBay for less than a new soft-cover = version.<div><br></div><div>I refer often to the new <i>Flora of Nova = Scotia</i>, which is way over-priced ($70 plus all the tax when I bought = mine), and has crude black-and-white sketches which are of only limited = utility. Much better black-and-white drawings are found in the = ponderous, three-volume classic <i>New Britton and Brown = Illustrated Flora, </i>either the current (much overpriced) or the = older edition (available used for about $45-$60). This latter work = is highly technical, and uses standard botanical terminology, which is = precise but requires considerable linguistic effort on the part of the = user. Maybe you have always wanted to learn another language, and = won't mind. I take the shortcut of making a quick identification = (usually to the genus) using a simpler book, and then checking the = <i>New Britton and Brown</i> for final identification, because I = know that it probably has all the species.</div><div><br></div><div>A = drawback of all these books is that they assume that if you are looking = at a flowering plant, it is in bloom; but of course, this is true only = part of the time.</div><div><br></div><div>I use frequently the Peterson = field guide volume on wildflowers, and though it is less technically = precise and comprehensive than Newcomb's, it is <i>fast</i>, and can be = checked against other references to confirm your identification. = The Peterson book is also overpriced, but used copies are easy to = find on eBay or elsewhere.</div><div><br></div><div>To help me learn = what is around, I started making myself a guide to the plants found on = my own property. After a few years, I have about finished it = (except for the grasses), using my own photographs for most of the = illustrations. One thing I learned is that a huge proportion of = the commoner wildflowers in Nova Scotia are aliens, unwisely or = carelessly introduced over the years, mainly from Europe. Some of = them are real pests, like the dreaded and invincible Mouse-Ear = Hawkweed.</div><div><br><div><div>On 31 Oct 2008, at 4:21 PM, James W. = Wolford wrote:</div><br class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote = type=3D"cite"><div style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: = space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "> I know lots of = naturalists who are big fans of Newcomb's Wildflower Guide -- it will = disappoint your wish for lots of colour illustrations, but actually in = some ways the line drawings are better -- it has a KEY SYSTEM which, = when learned (very simple, involving flower parts and leaf shapes = mainly), is quite simple to follow and is field-tested (copyright 1977 = and never revised, as fas as I know). Beware, of course, that it = is for northeastern North America, thus you will also need access to the = latest Roland's Flora of Nova Scotia (1998?) by Marian Zinck/Munro, who = is at the N.S. Museum of Nat. Hist. in Halifax, 1747 Summer St. = Roland's Flora can be found in all N.S. public libraries and high = school libraries; also the much older Roland and Smith's Flora of N.S. = can still be found for sale in some bookstores for about $20 or less and = is much more portable than is Zinck's 2-volume, large-format = tome.<div><br></div><div>If you want lots of colour illustrations, try = either the Nat. Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers -- not sure = of exact title, but is a very good value for the money -- illustrations = are mostly good photos. Also the Golden Guide to Wildflowers (not = the small one) is not a bad guide either with lots of good painted = illustrations.</div><div><br></div><div>Hope this helps beyond Lance's = answer. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.<br><div><br><div>Begin = forwarded message:</div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>From: = </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Helvetica">"Laviolette, Lance (EXP)" <<a = href=3D"mailto:lance.laviolette@lmco.com">lance.laviolette@lmco.com</a>></= font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Date: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">October 31, 2008 1:24:58 PM = ADT</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>To: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></font>= </div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Subject: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>[NatureNS] Plant ID book was "New = York Aster flowers?"</b></font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Reply-To: </b></font><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></font>= </div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> <div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">Steve Shaw wrote:</div><div style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; = min-height: 14px; "><br></div> <blockquote type=3D"cite"><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">Nobody suggested what would be a good Eastern N. = America<span class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">plant ID book to buy, with lots of colour = pictures.<span class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>Any<span = class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">recommendations?</div> </blockquote><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Steve, = as a casual botanist such as yourself, the two books that I = use</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">that fit your description are = the following:</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">- "A Field Guide to Wildflowers : Northeastern and = North-Central North</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">America (Peterson Field = Guides) by Margaret McKenny (Author), Roger Tory</div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">Peterson (Illustrator, Series Editor)</div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide by Lawrence Newcomb = (Author), Gordon</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Morrison (illustrator)</div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Both = should be readily available.</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: = 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">All the best,</div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; = ">Lance</div> = </blockquote></div><br></div></div></blockquote></div><br></div></body></h= tml>= --Apple-Mail-2-245131938--
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