Wildflowers And Ferns Of Red River Gorge And The Greater Red River Basin

The Red River Gorge's intricate canyon system features an abundance of high sandstone cliffs, rock shelters, waterfalls, and natural bridges, making it one of the world's top rock-climbing destinations. The Gorge, known for its unspoiled scenic beauty and numerous hiking trails, is one of Kentucky's most popular natural destinations, attracting over 500,000 visitors a year. While books about hiking, climbing, and other recreational activities in the area are readily available, Wildflowers and Ferns of Red River Gorge is the first book specifically devoted to the biodiversity of the Gorge and its watershed. Authors Dan and Judy Dourson introduce the geology and cultural history of the gorge but focus on the incredible diversity of both common and rare flora of this unique ecosystem. With over 1,000 color images and numerous illustrations covering over 1,500 species currently known to exist in the watershed, Wildflowers and Ferns of Red River Gorge is designed to be accessible to the casual hiker and of use to the seasoned naturalist. Rare and endangered species are highlighted as well as a few other important, but often ignored, non-flowering plant groups, including green algae, fungi, slime molds, lichens, and mosses. In addition, a small section on flowering woody vines, shrubs, and trees is included, making the book the most comprehensive natural guide to one of Kentucky's most well-known natural recreational areas.

Eastern Kentucky is home to a number of breathtaking natural attractions. Over half a million visitors each year are drawn to its scenic beauty, abundant hiking trails, and exceptional rock climbing. The region also holds some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, from forest and mountain terrain to caves and ravines. This dramatic mixture of microclimates creates a natural abundance, including numerous edible plants, not found elsewhere in the region. Many are unfamiliar with these fascinating florae species, but Wild Yet Tasty by Dan Dourson and Judy Dourson provides a wealth of information about these comestible, natural treasures. This compact guide provides a useful introduction to the most commonly found and easily identified species, ranging from well-known edibles like morels, blackberries, and persimmons to ones that are not as commonly eaten, such as toothwort, common greenbrier, and redbud. Included are detailed line drawings and descriptions to help with identification, habitat information, specifics on what parts are eatable, and suggestions for the best time to harvest. A glossary of terms and tips for preparing wild food make this guide an invaluable resource for hikers, climbers, and campers visiting the region.

From the moment Daniel Boone first "gained the summit of a commanding ridge, and...beheld the ample plains, the beauteous tracts below," generations of Kentuckians have developed rich and enduring relationships with the land that surrounds them. Of Woods & Waters: A Kentucky Outdoors Reader is filled with loving tributes, written across the Commonwealth's two centuries, offered in celebration of Kentucky's widely varied environmental wonders that nurture both life and art. Ron Ellis, an outdoors enthusiast and noted writer, has gathered art, fiction, personal essays and poetry from many of Kentucky's best-known authors for this comprehensive collection. The anthology begins with famed illustrator John James Audubon's eloquent account of extracting catfish from the Ohio River and progresses through over fifty contributions by both established and emerging writers. Covering two hundred years of hunting, fishing, camping, cooking, hiking, and canoeing in Kentucky's woods and waters, these classic and original works show how writers have, as celebrated Kentucky historian Thomas D. Clark suggests, "fallen under the spell of the land." Of Woods & Waters does not merely recount fond memories. Many authors presented in this collection echo the sentiments of the award-winning novelist and essayist Barbara Kingsolver, who writes, "Much of what I know about life, and almost everything I believe about the way I want to live, was formed in those woods" adjacent to her birthplace in Nicholas County, Kentucky. The works collected in Of Woods & Waters serve to honor and defend what many recognize as a sadly declining way of life, one born out of genuine reverence for the beauty and bounty of nature. The contributions of Wendell Berry, Janice Holt Giles, Bobbie Ann Mason, Jesse Stuart, James Still, Robert Penn Warren, James Baker Hall, Silas House, and other esteemed authors examine the delicate balances that must be struck between humanity and nature, between progress and sustainable living. While raising these crucial questions, these writings center on connections among friends and family in Kentucky's beautiful natural surroundings. The authors spin tales of the whistling wings of ducks overhead, the heart-pounding excitement of a white-tailed buck's sudden appearance, the joy of childhood plunges into cold lake waters after hours of climbing trees, and the thrill of watching sons and daughters catch their first fish. In these writings, the bountiful Kentucky wilderness that first captivated frontier settlers remains vibrantly alive.

CLICK HERE to download sample native plants from Real Gardens Grow Natives For many people, the most tangible and beneficial impact they can have on the environment is right in their own yard. Aimed at beginning and veteran gardeners alike, Real Gardens Grow Natives is a stunningly photographed guide that helps readers plan, implement, and sustain a retreat at home that reflects the natural world. Gardening with native plants that naturally belong and thrive in the Pacific Northwest’s climate and soil not only nurtures biodiversity, but provides a quintessential Northwest character and beauty to yard and neighborhood! For gardeners and conservationists who lack the time to read through lengthy design books and plant lists or can’t afford a landscape designer, Real Gardens Grow Natives is accessible yet comprehensive and provides the inspiration and clear instruction needed to create and sustain beautiful, functional, and undemanding gardens. With expert knowledge from professional landscape designer Eileen M. Stark, Real Gardens Grow Natives includes: * Detailed profiles of 100 select native plants for the Pacific Northwest west of the Cascades, plus related species, helping make plant choice and placement. * Straightfoward methods to enhance or restore habitat and increase biodiversity * Landscape design guidance for various-sized yards, including sample plans * Ways to integrate natives, edibles, and nonnative ornamentals within your garden * Specific planting procedures and secrets to healthy soil * Techniques for propagating your own native plants * Advice for easy, maintenance using organic methods

**A New York Times Bestseller!** Based on the wildly popular Instagram account, Subpar Parks features both the greatest hits and brand-new content, all celebrating the incredible beauty and variety of America’s national parks juxtaposed with the clueless and hilarious one-star reviews posted by visitors. Subpar Parks, both on the popular Instagram page and in this humorous, informative, and collectible book, combines two things that seem like they might not work together yet somehow harmonize perfectly: beautiful illustrations and informative, amusing text celebrating each national park paired with the one-star reviews disappointed tourists have left online. Millions of visitors each year enjoy Glacier National Park, but for one visitor, it was simply "Too cold for me!" Another saw the mind-boggling vistas of Bryce Canyon as "Too spiky!" Never mind the person who visited the thermal pools at Yellowstone National Park and left thinking, “Save yourself some money, boil some water at home.” Featuring more than 50 percent new material, the book will include more depth and insight into the most popular parks, such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Acadia National Parks; anecdotes and tips from rangers; and much more about author Amber Share's personal love and connection to the outdoors. Equal parts humor and love for the national parks and the great outdoors, it's the perfect gift for anyone who loves to spend time outside as well as have a good read (and laugh) once they come indoors.

In the early seventies, some of us were shot like stars from our parents' homes. This was an act of nature, bigger than ourselves. In the austere beauty and natural reality of Hell's Canyon of Eastern Oregon, one hundred miles from pavement, Pam, unable to identify with her parent's world and looking for deeper pathways has a chance encounter with returning Vietnam warrior Skip Royes. Skip, looking for a bridge from survival back to connection, introduces Pam to the vanishing culture of the wandering shepherd and together they embark on a four–year sojourn into the wilderness. From the back of a horse, Pam leads her packstring of readers from overlook to water crossing, down trails two thousand years old, and from the vantages she chooses for us, we feel the edges of our own experiences. It is a memoir of falling in love with a place and a man and the price extracted for that love. Written with deep lyricism, Temperance Creek is a work of haunting beauty, fresh and irreverent and rooted in the grit and pleasure of daily life. This is Pam's story, but the courage and truth in the telling is part of our human experience. Seen through a slower more primary mirror, one not so crowded with objectivity, Pam's memoir, is a kind of home–coming, a family reunion for shooting stars.

Our Landscape Heritage provides an overview of the history and ecological makeup of the landscapes of New Brunswick to help ecological seekers starting out with basic knowledge about geology, soils, climate, and vegetation, to better understand why plants and animals are today distributed as they are. Part I outlines the rationale and history of ecological land classification (ELC) in New Brunswick, and presents basic scientific concepts and facts that help the reader to interpret the information that follows. Part II, Portrait of New Brunswick Ecoregions and Ecodistricts presents a detailed look at the variety and distribution of ecosystems across the geographic expanse of New Brunswick. Each of the seven chapters of Part II provides a high level description of the ecoregion, followed by detailed descriptions of each ecodistrict within the ecoregion.--Includes text from document.