Story originally printed in the Coulee News or online at www.couleenews.com
Published - Thursday, January 03, 2008
ALONG THE TRAIL: New book offers great insight to wildflowers
Mail comes to me in Post Office Box 111 at the Rockland Post Office. Because I have a multitude of interests, I get a lot of mail. And, because of the number of pieces that I receive, I get a lot of surprises.
Just a few days ago, for example, I found a large envelope with a return address unknown to me and with something rather heavy inside.
When I opened the bundle, I found a brand new book and an order blank from Cornerstone Press inside. Handwritten across the top of the order blank were the words “Enclosed is your free copy of ‘Wildflowers of Wisconsin.’ To order more copies, this form ...”
I was dumfounded, and, for a while, I laid the whole package aside — during which time I tried to remember why I deserved a free copy of anybody’s book.
Since the wildflowers of our state are, and have been for a long time, one of my primary interests, I was not able to separate myself from this volume for long. I began to page through it and soon had to admit that this book was, in many ways, unlike anything I had ever seen before.
It was filled with high quality, full-color pictures of hundreds of plants that I knew — and a few that I had never seen before. And the pictures weren’t restricted to only one view per plant; there were many supplementary photos showing diagnostic characteristics of difficult species.
For every species, there was a little map of all Wisconsin counties showing which counties constituted the range of that species in our state.
Without those maps, the uninitiated could spend a lot of time looking for some species in all the wrong places.
There is also a bit of very pithy text for each plant described in this volume. One does not find long descriptive articles here, but each word is necessary, and, together, they all serve the purpose very well.
For those who do not understand every term used, there is also a very clear and understandable glossary, right in the front of the book where it’s easy to find when one needs it.
Only one detail bothers me about the text. There are a number of symbols indicating the danger of poisoning, some without explanation. I know why many of them are there, but not every one.
Definitely, do not put any of those marked with the skull and crossbones in your mouth. Some are even dangerous to touch. “Hands off!” would be the safest policy, at least until you know for sure.
Space and weight are the reasons for the small pictures and the spare text. This book is meant for field use, and it’s a dandy.
One thing more. There is a list of photo contributors. I have one picture in this book, and that’s why I got a copy of it. “Wildflowers of Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest” by Merel R. Black and Emmet J. Judziewicz — ask for it at your favorite bookstore and start learning botany along the trail.
All stories copyright 2006 Coulee News and other attributed sources.