Wildflowers of Texas

by Geyata Ajilvsgi

A necessary item for Texan plant lovers. One of the best wildflower guides out there. There is now an updated version available with over 100 added species.

Wildflowers of Houston

by John & Gloria Tveten

A necessary item for Texan plant lovers. One of the best wildflower guides out there. This is one that never leaves my side. It has detailed description and facts about the plants covered, as well as those plants similar to them.

A Practical Guide to Edible & Useful Plants

by Delena Tull

This was my first book on the subject of useful plants. I couldn't have chosen a better one to start with either. Delena Tull tells you everything you could want to know about useful plants of Texas and the southwest. There is now an updated version available.

The Useful Wild Plants of Texas, the Southeastern and Southwestern United States, the Southern Plains, and Northern Mexico +

by Scooter Cheatham, Marshall Johnston, Lynn Marshall

These books are definitely a must have for those interested in plants! You'll never look at the "weeds" around your house the same again :)

I have purchased books in the past that had the word "encyclopedia" in the title. Most were not even close to living up to this word. Here are the exceptions. These books are encylopedias in the conventional definition of the word. As such, the books are steeply priced. However, once you open them you will understand why. They are extremely well researched, a fact that is very evident throughout the text. Also, the books abound with gorgeous color photographs. Had the books not been gifts, I would have gladly paid twice the price for them.

Extremely in depth coverage of plants from Abronia spp. to Arundo spp. is given in the first book. The second in the series covers Asclepias spp. to Canavalia spp. This coverage includes all manner of uses from culinary to utilitarian. (Other genuses are to be covered in future volumes.) The books are full of wonderful color photographs of all the plants covered - usually several per plant. There are wide margins listing the various uses of the plants (pointing out their discussion in the text), location diagrams of where the plants are found and more.

Although the books cover only the areas described in the title, anyone with more than a fleeting interest in useful plants is sure to appreciate this series - no matter where they might reside. Also, many of the plants covered are not limited in their range to just what is targeted by the title.

Congratulations on a wonderful book to Scooter Cheatham, Marshall C. Johnston, Lynn Marshall and all the others that worked so hard on these books (and continue to do so on the upcoming books in the series)!

I was lucky enough to get to meet Scooter Cheatham and Lynn Marshall in person (vs. communicating by email) at a booksigning for the UWP encyclopedias at Yucca Do Nursery one year. (See picture above.) I got both my Volume 1 & Volume 2 signed! Still waiting for Volume 3 to come out...

Miscellaneous

The Secret Life of Plants

by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird

"A fascinating account of the physical, emotional, and spiritual relations between plants and man." This quote is from the cover of the book, and is absolutely true. This book will give you a totally new way of looking at plants. A must read for any plant lover.

A Gardener's Latin

from The Editors of Country Living Gardener

Does a wonderful job of demystifying the Latin (or scientific) names of plants. After a brief, easy to understand introduction on why we give plants these scientific names, the definitions are given in a friendly format. The words are broken down into like groups: prefixes, suffixes, color, markings, shape, and many more.

Wildlife & Insects

Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses

by James H. Miller and Karl V. Miller

A very detailed book with over 300 species covered. Wildlife uses of the plants are listed when available. The book feels like an identification guide - I considered placing it in that category. One of the things I love most about this book is that it covers plants that some of the other guides leave out.

The Birds of Texas

by John L. Tveten

Wow! This book is not only gorgeous, but well written and full of information. The photography is... WOW :) The near 300 species accounts are brimming with facts that cover all parts of the birds' life. Easy to read, beginning and experienced birders will love it. Put this with the best field guide (see next book) and you are set!

Field Guide to the Birds of North America

by National Geographic

Everyone has their favorite field guide and this one is mine. I have others, but this one is the one I like best. Portable and thorough with great art representations of the birds. (I know, I know. You want one with actual photographs. I used to be like this too, but this book is an exception.) This book covers more than 800 North American birds. It has range maps for each bird and shows the birds in flight along with others of the same type. Oh, and it has a plasticized cover that makes it last longer than other plain paperbacks. The only bad thing about it is its weight. Its glossy color pages make it a booger to carry if you are going to be hiking around birdwatching all day. Worth it though... And who can't use a little extra exercise? ;)

Birding for Beginners

by Sheila Buff

As it says on the cover, "a comprehensive introduction to birdwatching". I think even if you have been birding for a while that you will like this book. It gives you very good identification techniques that a self-taught birder may not know. "All the essentials for the beginner to enjoy birdwatching are covered: equipment, identification techniques, field guides, optics for birders, birding by 'ear' and much more."

Birds of North America

by Fred J. Alsop III, in association with the Smithsonian Institute

This book is a huge comprehensive reference covering more than 930 birds of North America, including all birds known to breed in the United States or Canada, as well as regular visitors and vagrants to the continent. Each species has its own full-page profile with the expanded field guide information and other interesting details not found in other guides. What I especially like is that along the side of each page is a place for you to journal the date, time and location that you saw the bird. This keeps you from having to flip to the index in the back. You can sometimes find this book in the discount area of Waldenbooks, or at Half-Price Books.