Bursting with beautiful images and completely authoritative text, this comprehensive nature field guide will help families, amateur adventurers, and empty nesters enjoy and understand nature – from wilderness camping to their own backyard. For fans of National Geographic's Backyard Guide to the Night Sky and Backyard Guide to the Birds of North America.
National Geographic Illustrated Guide to Nature introduces you to constellations and weather, rocks and minerals, plants and wildflowers, and trees and shrubs. All of the most common varieties in each natural category in North America are identified and explained, from quartz and granite to dandelions and oak trees. Learn to read the clouds – and understand why one shape predicts rain and another sunshine. Point out constellations in the night sky and recognize planets visible to the naked eye.
Each chapter in National Geographic Illustrated Guide to Nature identifies 160 species or phenomena by giving key information for each plus a readable paragraph accompanied by photos and original art that help you sharpen your eyes and knowledge. Five field guides in one, representing a total of 800 of North America's most common wildflowers, trees, rocks and minerals, constellations, and weather patterns. Generously illustrated and logically organized with pointers, pictures, and identification tips, this is the ultimate field guide, an essential family reference and an excellent starting point for anyone eager to learn more about the natural world.
National Geographic is a renowned authority in cartographic excellence. For 119 years the Society's maps have helped spread geographic knowledge around the globe. A vast database allows National Geographic to combine the latest data gained by space-age technology with innovative digital mapping techniques to create state-of-the-art political, physical, and thematic maps. The Society's meticulous research and attention to detail have established a standard of achievement that is unparalleled.