B. Jennifer Guard. Wetland Plants of Oregon & Washington. Lone Pine Publishing. 1995.

Lone Pine has a long history of publishing outstanding field guides. Frankly, this is the "oldest" book I've reviewed from Lone Pine and it looks like it was published yesterday. I was seeking their books on wetlands, so naturally, Wetland Plants of Oregon & Washington, came to my attention.

The quality of the maps in the introduction is superb. Wetland Ecosystems are described so that the everyday hobby naturalist will understand it. In addition, a complete explanation of understanding the plant descriptions is provided. It is clear just from the introduction that this book wasn't written just for the professional botanist, something I have grown to really appreciate in Lone Pine nature guides.

I went through the book looking for plants that I didn't expect to see in a book on wetland plants. Grasses quickly caught my attention. I always picture these growing in the grasslands of the west, not in wetland areas. It was fascinating to learn that may grasses I've seen growing in very dry places also thrive in wetlands.

Although information on growing zones (USDA or Canadian equivalent) was missing, I found one long-season flowering plant I would love to have growing in my garden: Blue Calico Flower or Common Downingia. Its tiny blue flowers with a distinctive white spot would certainly look outstanding with taller growing plants.

Recommendation

No reader will find me making negative remarks about a Lone Pine Field Guide. If you live in the States of Washington or Oregon, this book should be on your bookshelf or in your backpack! You'll be glad you purchased this book.