Nora and Rick Bowers

An excellent guide to Texas wildflowers, able to be used by the layman or the expert, though geared more to the layman. I particularly liked the pictograms to quickly figure out leaf attachment, shape, etc, but for a lay person, they might be misleading, since all pods had a single pictogram, for instance, while not all pods look alike. It was also pleasant in a small way to realize I have pictures of many of the same flowers, taken in Texas, and my pictures are often better than theirs. I got to feel smug, and being able to feel smug while reading a text has a certain satisfying feeling. The main thing I wish it had that it didn't was range maps. Sometimes they told you when a species occurred outside Texas, and where, and sometimes they did not. Someone not familiar with the plants might not realize these could be found elsewhere. Recommended.… (mehr)

I got this book because it is arranged by color. Later I added Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide because the second edition is also arranged by color. While there is some overlap, I like having both.

Wildflowers of Texas shines in an urban setting. Many of the flowers I see on my walks are considered to be weeds and this one has them, from henbit to dandelions to bindweed.

Texas Wildflowers is more technical and has more flowers. There is a map in the back that shows the different ecosystems in Texas. I find more flowering cacti in it.

The only flower I wasn't able to find in either book was goatsbeard. For that I had to go to my trusty Audubon guide.

If you live in a city and take casual notice of wildflowers, this would be my suggestion for a "go to" book.… (mehr)