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Field Guides from Falcon Press

© Diana Pederson

I am constantly on the look out for new field guides to flowers. Those dealing with specific geographical regions are of particular interest to me because they help the user know which plants he/she is likely to see in a specific region. This week, let’s look at three field guides published by Falcon Press. They are Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers (Doug Ladd, 1995); Ozark Wildflowers (Don Kutz, 1999); and North Woods Wildflowers (Doug Ladd, 2001).

North Woods Wildflowers includes portions of Southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, the western and northern part of Michigan’s lower Peninsula, the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Northern Wisconsin and a portion of Northeastern Minnesota. Doug Ladd provides a description of the different growing microclimates within this region. You can have anything from rock outcrops to fens and swamps. This discussion is particularly beneficial for those who like to search for wildflowers as a hobby and for those of us who try to grow these same flowers in our personal gardens.

Over 350 plants are described in this guide. The plant descriptions are first organized according to color of the flower. Then they are arranged by plant family, genus and species. This organization method makes it easier for you to use this book as a field guide. You simply start by looking at the color of the flower, turn to that section of the book, and begin comparing leaves and plant structure in an effort to learn the name of the plant. Each plant is illustrated with a good quality photograph showing the flower, a few leaves, and sometimes the entire plant. The descriptions include the plant appearance, bloom season, type of habitat preferred, and some general comments about the plant.

The Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers illustrates 320 species common to this distinct habitat. Historically, Tallgrass prairies were found in parts of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. The book is laid out in a manner similar to the book described previously.

It is sad to know that we have so little of our tallgrass prairies left in this country today due to human activity. Ladd states “…if you locate an area with a dozen or more of the plants shown in this guide, you probably have an area with a remnant prairie character. Such areas are usually worthy of attention and management to insure their continued existence.” [page17] This book is particularly valuable for those trying to restore patches of native tallgrass prairies. It will also serve the home gardener who simply wants to enjoy growing some of these native plants.

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