<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: If you can't tell a plantain from a thistle....
Review: I never really appreciated "weeds" before I bought this little book. You see, I didn't really buy it for practical identification purposes. I bought it out of idle curiousity and a need to kill time. This was because I was working a job in an isolated and overgrown industrial park and identifying the plants that were overgrowing the complex seemed to be both distracting and contructive. In a very short period of time I was able to identify every plant, flowering and nonflowering. The illustrations show the flowers, the leaves, the seeds, and often the form of the entire plant above ground. Plus, the concise text gives pertinent facts about the plants' properties, habits, history, and range. In fact, a small range map of the United States is included for every single species. Since the book contains only about 130 major species (all you will probably ever need) it is fast and easy to flip through for identification. There are two notable omissions in the text however- Kudzu and Cannabis.... One thing that really stuck with me after using this book is how many of our most common plants actually came from abroad- early Indians would have had no idea what they were!
Rating:
Summary: If you can't tell a plantain from a thistle....
Review: I never really appreciated "weeds" before I bought this little book. You see, I didn't really buy it for practical identification purposes. I bought it out of idle curiousity and a need to kill time. This was because I was working a job in an isolated and overgrown industrial park and identifying the plants that were overgrowing the complex seemed to be both distracting and contructive. In a very short period of time I was able to identify every plant, flowering and nonflowering. The illustrations show the flowers, the leaves, the seeds, and often the form of the entire plant above ground. Plus, the concise text gives pertinent facts about the plants' properties, habits, history, and range. In fact, a small range map of the United States is included for every single species. Since the book contains only about 130 major species (all you will probably ever need) it is fast and easy to flip through for identification. There are two notable omissions in the text however- Kudzu and Cannabis.... One thing that really stuck with me after using this book is how many of our most common plants actually came from abroad- early Indians would have had no idea what they were!
Rating: 
Summary: Weeds
Review: I purchased this book as a companion to another field guide, Wildflowers. I've never been able to differentiate between weeds and wildflowers, but after perusing both works, I've determined that my yard has far more weeds than wildflowers. This is a handy reference with good illustrations and text written for the non-botanist to understand.
Rating:
Summary: Weeds
Review: I purchased this book as a companion to another field guide, Wildflowers. I've never been able to differentiate between weeds and wildflowers, but after perusing both works, I've determined that my yard has far more weeds than wildflowers. This is a handy reference with good illustrations and text written for the non-botanist to understand.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is about different kinds of weeds.
Review: If you are interested in weeds, I think you should get this book. It tells you a brief summary about the weeds and it tells you where in the US are the weeds. I gave this book 3 stars because I thought this book would have more about the weeds and could have had more weed species but it is still a good book.
Rating:
Summary: A fine guide to many seemingly invisible plants
Review: In our garden there grows a plant with beautifully lobed leaves which twist slightly at the point where they join the stalk, and which appear to be oriented to the points of the compass. Until I came across this guide, none of my books could tell me the name of this plant, which turned out to be wild lettuce. This small book has many such plants: flowers and herbs that are all around us, but which we hardly ever see, or, as the cover states it, "the successful plants that nobody wants." I have found here the names of many plants which I pass on a daily basis in my rambles, but which I could never find in any guidebook, until I purchased this one. I also found information about those plants whose names I knew previously: the book has helped me become reacquainted with them. Indeed, I have always left a small corner of my garden untouched, simply because it seemed appropriate that there be a wilderness, however small, available to us; I now know the names of most of the plants that reside there. Many will find this guide a useful means by which to eradicate such plants from their gardens, since methods for removal are included with many of the descriptions. I myself have no quarrel with the plants in this guide; as Emerson said, a weed is merely a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. If those virtues are not economic or agricultural, but rather aesthetic or scientific, then this book will be useful to those who do not garden or farm, but want to know more about those plants which seem to exist beside us without names. Despite the "seek and destroy" attitude which infuses this book, I have found it useful in identifying these plants: my world is much richer now that I have come to know better our almost invisible neighbors.
Rating:
Summary: A fine guide to many seemingly invisible plants
Review: In our garden there grows a plant with beautifully lobed leaves which twist slightly at the point where they join the stalk, and which appear to be oriented to the points of the compass. Until I came across this guide, none of my books could tell me the name of this plant, which turned out to be wild lettuce. This small book has many such plants: flowers and herbs that are all around us, but which we hardly ever see, or, as the cover states it, "the successful plants that nobody wants." I have found here the names of many plants which I pass on a daily basis in my rambles, but which I could never find in any guidebook, until I purchased this one. I also found information about those plants whose names I knew previously: the book has helped me become reacquainted with them. Indeed, I have always left a small corner of my garden untouched, simply because it seemed appropriate that there be a wilderness, however small, available to us; I now know the names of most of the plants that reside there. Many will find this guide a useful means by which to eradicate such plants from their gardens, since methods for removal are included with many of the descriptions. I myself have no quarrel with the plants in this guide; as Emerson said, a weed is merely a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. If those virtues are not economic or agricultural, but rather aesthetic or scientific, then this book will be useful to those who do not garden or farm, but want to know more about those plants which seem to exist beside us without names. Despite the "seek and destroy" attitude which infuses this book, I have found it useful in identifying these plants: my world is much richer now that I have come to know better our almost invisible neighbors.
Rating:
Summary: Good entry-level pocket-size plant book
Review: This is a "sweet" book that is ideal for beginners and kids. While the attitude of the author toward weeds is generally annoying (he often suggests herbicides to control plants that I take great pleasure in), the drawings of the plants are excellent (and very appealing), the descriptive text and maps (where it's found in the US) are good, and the choices of plants (131 are included) is quite good. In fact, many of the medicinal herbs that I am studying are included. But, to be honest, what I like best about this book is its size - 4"x6"x1/4". It fits in a back pocket perfectly, something that none of my other herb books can claim!
Rating:
Summary: Good entry-level pocket-size plant book
Review: This is a "sweet" book that is ideal for beginners and kids. While the attitude of the author toward weeds is generally annoying (he often suggests herbicides to control plants that I take great pleasure in), the drawings of the plants are excellent (and very appealing), the descriptive text and maps (where it's found in the US) are good, and the choices of plants (131 are included) is quite good. In fact, many of the medicinal herbs that I am studying are included. But, to be honest, what I like best about this book is its size - 4"x6"x1/4". It fits in a back pocket perfectly, something that none of my other herb books can claim!
Rating:
Summary: Fun to read, not so easy to ID with
Review: This is an enjoyable book for kids and adults, with lively commentary and good descriptions of where you're likely to find these plants. There are several downsides: a) I can't really identify much from this book; I don't find the illustrations helpful. Smartweeds, for example, are not shown with their common purple splotch. "Weeds of the Northeast" is far better for identification, especially when you are dealing with seedlings. b) Some common weeds like garlic mustard and yellow foxtail are not included. Maybe it's time for a revision, since the copyright reads 1987. Once I ID a weed, though, it's always fun to pull out this book and read what they have to say about it. For this reason - and its reasonable cost - I recommmend it.
<< 1 >>
| 
