Serious birders, botanists, and entomologists all have their specialized guides, but this book is the guide to “everything else"—the one guide to take when you go out for a walk. Wow, that’s a cool-looking mushroom. Wonder what it is. Hey, look at that weird insect.Birds, mammals, trees, wildflowers, insects, reptiles, amphibians, fish, spiders, mushrooms, ferns, grasses, even constellations overhead and rocks underfoot—it’s all here. With authoritative yet broad coverage, nontechnical language, and more than two thousand color photographs, this book is an essential reference for nature lovers living in or visiting Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

    Owls are perhaps the most intriguing of all birds — instantly recognizable and endlessly fascinating. Whether viewed as symbols of wisdom or bad omens, these unusual birds have had a hold on human imagination for millennia.Heard more often than seen, many owls are best identified by vocalizations; this is the only owl guide to include access to a collection of recordings. It is also the only North American owl book to include the Caribbean, covering 39 species of owls, including many little-known tropical species.With detailed information about identification, calls, habitat, nesting, and behavior, this Reference Guide has the most up-to-date information about natural history, biology, ecology, migration, and conservation status. It is heavily illustrated with hundreds of color photos, and includes the most accurate color range maps ever presented, showing breeding, wintering, and migration routes.This is a definitive work, useful for serious birders and ornithologists but accessible for the non-expert.

    Featuring superb color illustrations, this one-of-a-kind book covers the complete spectrum of wildlife--more than 800 species of plants, fishes, butterflies, birds, and mammals--that inhabit the Arctic's polar deserts, tundra, taiga, sea ice, and oceans. It can be used anywhere in the entire Holarctic region, including Norway's Svalbard archipelago, Siberia, the Russian Far East, islands of the Bering Sea, Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, and Greenland. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, size, habitat, range, scientific name, and the unique characteristics that enable these organisms to survive in the extreme conditions of the Far North. A color distribution map accompanies each species account, and alternative names in German, French, Norwegian, Russian, Inuit, and Inupiaq are also provided.Features superb color plates that allow for quick identification of more than 800 species of plants, fishes, butterflies, birds, and mammalsIncludes detailed species accounts and color distribution mapsCovers the flora and fauna of the entire Arctic region

    Ranging from the Sierra Nevada mountains to coastal bluffs along the Pacific, from temperate rainforests along the North Coast to arid mountain slopes in Southern California, a wealth of manzanita species and subspecies can be found in an astonishing array of environments. What is presented herein is an assimilation of images, descriptions, and range maps to better understand these plants through:• Color plates for identifying the world's manzanitas• Accurate and updated range maps• 28 manzanita hot-spots for finding them in the field• Spectacular photos from across North America• Simplified keys by region• Discussion covering endemism, ecology, and evolution of the genus

    Terrence Gosliner, Angel Valdes and David Behrens previously worked together on the 2008 publication of Indo-Pacific Nudibranchs and Sea Slugs. This new book Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification - Indo-Pacific is an improved version of that work, including more than 500 additional photos and species.

    Each species is covered in detail with information on how to identify, whether from a leaf, twig, bark or whole tree, plus extra information on where the tree grows (including a map), how high they grow, what uses it is put to and history.Every species is also comprehensively illustrated with photographs of every useful feature – bark, leaf, seed, flower, twig and whole tree.Sample identification section:Silver Birch Betula pendula (Betulaceae) height to 26mA slender, fast-growing deciduous tree with a narrow, tapering crown when young and growing vigorously. Older trees acquire a weeping habit, especially if growing in an open, uncrowded situation.

    With more than a thousand color photographs accompanied by visual descriptions, the easy-to-use guide organizes plants first by flower color, then alphabetically by family common name, then by scientific name. The authors also include information on traditional uses of the plants by indigenous peoples and an extensive glossary and bibliography. A brief geological history and description of the ranges examines the different life zones and ecosystems and how these relate to elevation and microclimates. Wildflower enthusiasts and hikers will welcome this useful book.

    Two main sections provide a choice of looking up information by place or by species: The first includes regions of North America, highlighting the best places to look for mammals. The species-finding guide has accounts of more than four hundred species of mammals, including detailed directions to specific parks, refuges, and other locations; the best times of day (or night) to look; and much more information specific to each mammal.   Sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute       VLADIMIR DINETS has a PhD in zoology and specializes in animal behavior, conservation biology, and the natural history of little-known animals living in remote places.   To learn more, visit www.petersonfieldguides.com or scan here.