National Audubon Society FGT Southeastern States Es

Due to its climate and varied terrain, the southeastern United States may have the most varied natural life in the nation. And while it may now be the most populous quarter of the lower 48, the natural world is never far away. The National Audubon Field Guide is an excellent resource to keep close by for those who living and exploring in the southeast. The book is divided into three main sections. The first covers an overview of the climate, the geography, the habitats and ecology of the south. The second covers the plant and animal life. And the third introduces some of the more significant parks and natural areas of the southeast. The first great reason this book is valuable is the extensive color photographs and drawings of the different major types of native animal and plant species. The second great reason this book is valuable is its portability. The weekend hiker or boater, and the home gardener will equally appreciate the relative size of this book, as it can be easily thrown into a backpack for easy reference. The book could do a better job of showing some of the non native plants and animals. Also, the plants and the animals are not indexed, which can make referencing them slower. The final section, which just introduces major parks in the southeast, could have been better with some introductory maps of major hiking and boating areas. That said, this is a fine guidebook that should be useful to anyone in the southeast who enjoys the outdoors.

This is the BEST nature guide I have found for the southeast, but unfortunately that is not saying much. I have been spoiled by the wealth of naturalist and natural history books available for all different parts of the west, books which not only tell you how to ID a species, but which also give you enough information to feel like you know it afterwards. I take young people on wilderness trips for a living, and enjoy sharing with them my love of nature. I especially enjoy introducing them to members of the natural community, neighbors they have had all their lives but probably have never taken time to become aquainted with. I grew up in the southeast, before heading west in search of adventure. Now I am back, working with at-risk and adjudicated youth, taking them on canoe paddles in old cypress swamps and along inter-coastal waterways. I normally find a variety of great books to take on trips for my kids to consult when they spot something new. But here in my old stomping grounds, this is the best I could come up with. The National Audubon guides are great for covering a wide range of information, from weather to constellations to identifying plants and animals. But they won't tell you much of anything about those plants and animals. I know there are naturalists and writers in the south who can do better. Would love to find them (in print) someday soon.

We do nature walks for homeschooling, and I have to say this is the best guide to carry with you. It covers so many plants, animals, reptiles that are easy to find and identfy. The descriptions are concise and informative. I do think it's best to have other books at home for looking up more detailed info at home (or use the internet).

I live out of this book. A must for anyone going outdoors in the South. I continue to impress my friends with the knowledge I retain from this book. If you are packing on the trail this is the book for you. Don't carry 10 different books. This is the only one you need.

This field guid is really easy to extract information from. My sister-inlaw, who lives on a boat traveling all around the southeastern states, absconded with mine and I was left in the dark. I own many audubon field guides but I truely like the format of this one because all aspects are under one cover. It makes my pack much lighter! Alden and Nelson do a wonderful job for introducing the newcomer to the southern states. Thank you, JE Rifkin