Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers

According to ecologist Paul R. Ehrlich, "In this century, no one has done more to promote an interest in living creatures than Roger Tory Peterson, the inventor of the modern field guide." Peterson's "Guide to the Birds" - "the first modern field guide" - was published in 1934. Its pioneering approach relied on the use of visual characters rather than technical descriptions to identify species. This was achieved by grouping similar species together on a plate, using clear, two-dimensional illustrations, and pointers to key field marks as well as succinct text, a combination known as the Peterson Identification System. That revolutionary style was later applied to a host of field guides covering anything from the night sky to moths and geology to mushrooms and including the present volume. "Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers" is Number 31 in the Peterson Field Guide Series, published in 1984 and still in the original edition. The format will, of course, be very familiar to all who have ever held or used a Peterson Field Guide - and to those it will probably be self-recommending. This volume treats 1,505 species found in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado. Over 1,500 illustrations are provided, some in colour, but the majority as clear line-drawings. The succinct text for each species is conveniently set opposite the plate depicting the plant. Clearly this guide cannot and does not attempt to be a comprehensive guide to the flora of the region. However, I have found it to be an indispensable guide on my travels to Texas and Arizona. Personally, I much prefer the concise, densely packed format of the Peterson Field Guides to the newer photographic guides, of which there is now a plethora. However, beginners often seem to prefer the latter. In that case, a handy alternative for Texas might be Tull & Miller's "Wildflowers, Trees and Shrubs of Texas" which treats 600 species or, for Arizona, Epple and Epple's "Plants of Arizona" which covers 850 species.