Wildflowers Of Houston And Southeast Texas

You'll find them throughout the year in Houston—lyre-leaf sage, Drummond skullcap, silver-leaf nightshade, snow-on-the-prairie, lemon beebalm, scarlet pimpernel, plains wild indigo, spring ladies'-tresses, deer pea vetch. These wildflowers and hundreds of other species flourish in this part of Texas, but until this book was published in 1993 no guide had focused exclusively on the Houston area. John and Gloria Tveten spent years seeking out both the common and the rare flowers. They describe here more than 200 plants. A color photograph of each one will make identification easy. The guide is arranged by color, with each entry tracing the history and lore of a species. Many plants—for example, prairie Indian plantain and self-heal—were used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes. Others, like poke-weed and wapato, are edible. Southern dewberry and giant ragweed are used as natural dyes. And some, like rattlebush and milkweed, are poisonous. At the end of each species account is a list of key identifying characteristics for quick reference in the field. Summaries of plant families are also included, as well as tips on where and when to look for wildflowers.

The recently updated field guide designed to help easily identify wildflowers native to Texas. Many color photographs help make identification easy and foolproof.

All across the country, butterflies are becoming as popular as birds and wildflowers, especially among people seeking to enjoy the rich natural resources that Texas possesses. John and Gloria Tveten have been studying butterflies in Southeast Texas for thirty-five years, and here they offer their considerable knowledge to everyone who shares their passion for butterflies. In this easy-to-use field guide, the Tvetens describe and illustrate more than 100 species of butterflies that live in Southeast Texas and can often be found across the state. Striking color photographs of living butterflies and caterpillars (a unique addition) show the key marks and characteristics necessary for field identification. The Tvetens' enjoyable and authoritative text describes each species' life history, habits, flight patterns, and characteristic markings. An account of the different butterfly families, from swallowtails to longwings to skippers, precedes the descriptions of the species within each family. The Tvetens also include an interesting discussion of butterfly biology, a complete checklist of area butterflies, an index of butterfly-attracting plants, and pointers to other butterfly resources. This field guide is the first to focus exclusively on Southeast Texas butterflies. It will be the essential reference for everyone seeking a reliable way to identify these butterflies, from field observers to apartment dwellers who wonder what is fluttering around the pot plants on the balcony.

With the Rocky Mountains to the west, the Great Plains to the North, the Chihuahan Desert to the south and the Gulf of Mexico to the east, Texas lies at the biological crossroads of North America. More than 5,000 flowering plants, from tiny herbs to towering trees, grow in these vast and diverse habitats. This book describes more than 600 species of the most common Texas wildflowers, trees, shrubs, and cacti in a well-illustrated, easy-to-use format. With over 400 color photographs, drawings, identification keys, and range maps for each species, the book uses a step-by-step process to easily identify major plant features. (Wildflowers, for example, are arranged by color for easy identification.) Essentially three books in one, this handy guide will be invaluable for weekend naturalists, gardeners, and nature lovers in general.

With more than 175,000 copies sold, Texas Wildflowers has established itself as the go-to guide for identifying the state’s roadside flowers. This new edition has been completely reorganized by flower colors (and within each color section, by flowering season) to make it even easier to identify the flowers you see as you travel through Texas. Every wildflower is illustrated with a beautiful full-color photograph—over 250 of which are new to this edition. All of the descriptive identifying information is presented in a consistent format—common and botanical names, plant and leaves, flowers and fruit, flowering season, habitat and range, and notes. What hasn’t changed is the book’s sturdy binding, which will hold up through years of active use, and its wealth of information, which has been thoroughly updated by the expert staff of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: 300 species descriptions, including engaging comments about the plants’ natural histories, landscape uses, edible or medicinal properties, and folklore A map of Texas’s vegetational areas Glossaries that define and illustrate botanical terms A bibliography of books for learning more about wildflowers Indexes to common and botanical plant names, as well as plant families, that distinguish between native and non-native species As Lady Bird Johnson observed in the foreword, Texas Wildflowers “makes me want to reach for my sunhat, put on my walking shoes, take this knowledge-filled book, and fare forth to seek and discover!”

More than 200 wild flower plants are identified by color photographs, tracing the history and lore of the species.

The diverse geography of Texas overflows with edible plant species. From elderberry to amaranth and dandelion to cactus, Foraging Texas guides you to 92 edible wild foods and healthful herbs of the state. This valuable reference guide will help you identify and appreciate the wild bounty of the Lone Star State. Foraging Texas provides all of the information you need about wild foods in the state: Detailed descriptions and full-color photos of edible plants Tips on finding, preparing, and using foraged foods Recipes suitable for the trail and at home Botanical terms and diagrams complete with an illustrated bibliography Distribution maps for every plant