Wildflowers of New EnglandWildflowers of New England: Timber Press Field Guide by Ted Elliman and The New England Wild Flower Society. 2016. 462 pp. 1077 color photos, 30 illus. ISBN 978-1-60469-464-2, $27.95 (flexibind). Timber Press, Portland, OR (original) (raw)

Rhodora

Abstract

There is nothing so wonderful as a botanical foray to a new area. Your pack may have a water bottle, a hand lens, a field notebook (a vasculum if you were Les Mehrhoff), and perhaps a small press. What about a field guide? In New England, which current tome or doggedear guide from decades past would you toss into your pack? The new Wildflowers of New England may be just that field guide. Ted Elliman’s Wildflowers of New England is a field guide of the classic Peterson’s format covering over 1100 forbs and small flowering shrubs of the region. In my tenure as a field biologist/plant ecologist, I have longed for a regional field guide such as this; New England-centric with current taxonomic information, color pictures, and easy-to-use keys. This is both for my own use as well as a guide to recommend to newcomers to New England, budding botanists, interns, and students interested in New England botany at any level. This is the first field guide I have seen from any region that bridges the gaps between on-line databases/flora and systematic keys. Being a compendium of sorts to the 2011 Flora Novae Angliae as well as the popular Go Botany on-line key, Wildflowers of New England serves its purpose well as an easy-to-use hands-on guide with accurate information for the most likely plants. Author Ted Elliman uses his vast knowledge of the flora of the New England region to detail telltale characteristics of the New England flora. Ted Elliman, staff botanist at the New England Wildflower Society, has decades of experience all across New England. He is a thoughtful, careful botanist and conservationist. The New England Wildflower Society, and Ted himself, have made significant contributions to the conservation of species and habitats in New England. This field guide is a testament to that work and to NEWFS’ continued mission to educate the public about plant conservation in the region. When I first got my copy, I was immediately swayed by having one of my favorite spring wildflowers on the cover. Commonly called Quaker-ladies where I live on Nantucket Island, Houstonia caerulea (a.k.a. bluets) graces the front cover. The wonderful macro photogra-

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