Identification Guides:
North American Wildlife This book includes color pictures of all the common trees, shrubs, and animals of North America. Concise information about habitats, eating habits, and growth are included.
The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees Western Region by Elbert Little. (and you can also get the Eastern Region, as applicable) Full colored pictures of the bark and the leaves of the trees of North America.
Peterson First Guide To Trees. Field guide for the beginning naturalist, with full color illustrations!
Plant Families- How to Know Them. H. E. Jaques compiled this taxonomy key. This pictured-key has almost all known members of the plant kingdom.
Trees:
Trees for American Gardens: The Definitive Guide to Identification & Cultivation by Donald Wyman. This is a tree book for the gardener who wants to know about the trees he has and about new trees he can get. Many details about native trees as well as those cultivated, but not occurring in natural settings.
4-H Forestry Project: Forests of Fun. According to their website, “Forests of Fun provides a wealth of information and serves as the 4-H Forestry connection to the larger forestry community. You can find advanced activities, career information and an introduction to forestry organizations nationwide.”
Habitat Studies:
The Field Guide to Wildlife Habitats of the Eastern United States. Janine Benyus wrote this book and the companion book: The Field Guide to Wildlife Habitats of the Western United States. The line drawings within the books are great and there are lots of facts about the habitats we live in, including the trees. She includes information on the habitats in all four seasons.
Plants in General:
Experimenting with Plants. Joel Beller wrote this wonderful book on plants with lots of hands on activities for the inquistitve experimenter.
Specific Information about your area: Can get posters, lists and pictures of native living species, and publications.
- Nature Centers
- Museums
- Agricultural Experiment Stations
- Parks; City, State, National, and World Parks
Have any other great resources you’d like to share? Leave a comment and let us know!
