Daniel Mathews. Rocky Mountain Natural History: Grand Teton to Jasper. Raven Editions. 2003.

One of my reasons for wanting to review this book was to see if it could be of use to rock gardeners who create mini-scenes of geographical regions. Obviously, it is necessary to know the plants that grow in that region if you are to successfully create such a planting. Rocky Mountain Natural History serves this purpose very well for several reasons:

1. It provides a detailed discussion of the geologic history of the mountain range with careful descriptions of the various features found there.
2. Mathews provides an excellent discussion of the weather and climate found in the Rocky Mountain region.
3. There are chapters dedicated to each group of woody or herbaceous plants: conifers, flowering trees and shrubs, flowering herbs (all non-woody plants), ferns, clubmosses, and horsetails, mosses and liverworts, and the fungi including lichens. The descriptions in these chapters often give information such as how the plant got its name, possible harmful effects of the plant, and other information not always found in field guides.
4. This book is easy to use and read. There are black and white sketches to illustrate the various descriptions. Two groups of color plates portray many of the plants/animals discussed.
5. The author also provides quality information on the animals, birds, fish and insects found in this region. He even discusses "other critters" such as the bacteria that occasionally turns snow pink. The book ends with a discussion of the rocks and minerals of the Rocky Mountains.

Recommendation

This makes an excellent one volume field guide for the Rocky Mountain region. It also fits nicely into a backpack for the naturalist (amateur or professional) visiting this region.

Robert L. Williams. 'A Region of Astonishing Beauty': The Botanical Exploration of the Rocky Mountains. Roberts Rinehart Publishers. 2003.

Beginning with Lewis and Clark, Williams documents the explorers who studied the botany of the Rocky Mountain region. I find it interesting to learn about these explorers and the many difficulties they faced in their quest for scientific knowledge.

Recommendation

This book isn't for everyone. It probably belongs in a library to serve as reference material for those wishing to study the explorers of the Rocky Mountain Region. It is, no doubt, of interest to people who are also interested in the history of botanical exploration.