A Visitor's Guide to the Plants of Muir Woods National Monument provides an introduction to the trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and ferns found in this preserved redwood grove located just north of San Francisco. Arranged first by trees and shrubs, then flower color for wildflowers, and followed by ferns, the book will allow visitors to the Monument to identify the area's most representative plants. Written in a non-technical style, a total of 77 plants are described and illustrated with color photographs, including the Monument's 13 species of ferns, a conspicuous feature of the preserve's undergrowth. A checklist of all vascular plant species, prepared by the National Park Service, is also included, as is a complete index to the scientific and common names used in the book.
Steve Chadde is the author of popular plant identification field guides such as Wetland Plants of the Upper Midwest, Wisconsin Flora, Minnesota Flora, Michigan Flora: Upper Peninsula, Northeast Ferns, and Alaska Trees and Shrubs. Following graduation from the University of Wyoming and Montana State University, he worked as a plant ecologist and botanist for organizations such as the USDA Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy. His books have proven to be valuable references for researchers and students. After a decade in the Philippines, he now lives in the Ozark Mountain region of Arkansas.