Peter Alden

Finding a copy of this treasure at a wonderful thriftstore in Sedona was the cherry on top of an already delightful trip. Until finding it, my only sorrow of the adventure had been my near-total ignorance of the desert flora that was on spectular springtime display.

There is a certain power and satisfaction to naming. Once I had this book, I felt both as I reviewed the many pictures from our trip and named the beauty I'd captured. I squealed with delight to find the book not only features flowers (my personal obsession) but also star charts of the night sky, explainations of different geological formations, butterflies, mammals, and more.

Overall very easy to use. However, a number of photographs were not clear enough -- either too far from subject or too shadowy -- for confident identification.… (more)

This field guide to the southwestern states has over 1,500 full-color images including over 1,300 high-quality photographs, 9 maps, 16 night-sky charts, and over 100 drawings. Part One is an overview of the topography, habitats, ecology, weather, and night Skys. In Part Two, there is specific information on the flora and fauna of the southwest by each picture, indicating size, appearance, seasonality, habitat, range, and brief identifying comments about, for example, leaves and blooms for flora, or calls and male versus female appearance for fauna.

Part Three focuses on parks and preserves in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

The pictures are excellent and so helpful, and the size of the guide is convenient for carrying around in your backpack while out and about.… (more)