United States
£ GBP
This exquisitely illustrated volume provides an accessible, in-depth introduction to summer-blooming wildflowers of the northeastern United States and Canada. Featuring more than 700 detailed colour photos and a large, beautifully designed format, Summer Wildflowers of the Northeast delves into the life histories of more than thirty-five wildflowers and their relatives, from common roadside favorites, such as asters and milkweeds, to interesting, lesser-known species, including Indian pipe and ginseng. Drawing on a wealth of personal experience and the latest scientific research, and presenting it all in terms anyone can understand, acclaimed naturalist and photographer Carol Gracie invites readers to enhance their appreciation of the beauty of these wildflowers by learning not just their names or how many petals they have, but what pollinates them, how their seeds are dispersed, how they interact with other plants and animals, how Native Americans and other people have used them, and other interesting facts.
Each species is illustrated with a range of detailed colour photos that not only capture its beauty but illustrate the features discussed in the text and show the plant in its environment alongside the pollinators, herbivores, or seed dispersers with which, in many cases, the wildflower has evolved. Other topics covered include the naming of wildflowers; pathogens and pests; related species in other parts of the world; and wildflowers in history, literature, and art.
Presenting authoritative information in an inviting style, Summer Wildflowers of the Northeast is an ideal volume for wildflower lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, naturalists, students, and more.
Carol Gracie is a naturalist, photographer, writer, and lecturer who has a special interest in plants and insects. She is the author of Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast: A Natural History (Princeton) and a co-author of Wildflowers in the Field and Forest: A Field Guide to the Northeastern United States. She has also co-authored books on plants of tropical South America. Now retired, she worked for many years as an educator, research assistant, and tour leader at the New York Botanical Garden. Her work on tropical plant collecting expeditions has resulted in several new species being named for her.
"Carol Gracie's admiration and affection for the flowers she researches and photographs is evident on every page of her new book [...] One cannot help but admire [her] commitment to obtaining detailed and aesthetic photographs to illustrate her subjects precisely."
– Maureen Sundberg, Ecological Landscape Alliance
"Summer Wildflowers of the Northeast is, pure and simple, a plant lover's delight."
– Grow Native Massachusetts
"A delight to read for it is not only extraordinarily informative, bearing the hallmark of years of fieldwork, observation and research, but is also written with passion, love and enthusiasm for the subject matter – a wonderful combination! A wonderful book!"
– Paddy Tobin, An Irish Gardener
"I'm giving [this book] the highest endorsement possible: five stars, two thumbs up, Triple A, Ten out of Ten [...] you name it."
– Bruce Fellman, RICentral.com
"[In] combining her talents as a naturalist and writer with her skills as a photographer, Gracie creates a truly beautiful volume. [...] This book will be appreciated by anyone who lives in or visits the Northeast and has opportunity get into the out-of-doors in summertime, by geologists, entomologists, ethnobotanists, nature photographers, historians, and many more."
– Grace Lloyd Bascopé, Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas
"I cannot recommend this book highly enough."
– Gail Hamsher, Garden Club of America
"Summer Wildflowers of the Northeast is excellent – exceptionally well-illustrated and filled with extremely interesting natural history. Carol Gracie uses the photos in a very instructive way; in fact, the combination of photos and captions are almost essays in themselves. A top-notch naturalist, Gracie brings valuable information to the wildflower enthusiast."
– Garrett E. Crow, professor emeritus, University of New Hampshire
