THE FLOWER FINDER

Book excerpt: This book features where and when you can find 300 different species of wildflowers, flowering shrubs and small trees along the 14 most popular trails in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. It provides not only descriptions of the flowers but why it populates that specific ecological niche, how it differs from related species, the month(s) it can be found, and its relationships to its genus and family. Along with the written descriptions, color illustrations accompany the text adjacent to its description. These are rendered in sufficient detail for easy identification. The location of each wildflower will be specified by distance from the trailhead, distance from before and after prominent landmarks, and elevation. These descriptions and the accompanying illustrations will allow you to locate and identify almost all the wildflowers in the Gorge. In addition, sidebars accompany the text in all chapters explaining botanical information in general but non-technical language, thus providing additional information about not only the science of these ecosystems but also the reasons why any particular flower or its family dwells in that particular location.