No comments about Williamsburg's Glorious Gardens.

No comments about Chesapeake Country.

3 comments about Walking Virginia Beach.

1. As a resident of Virginia Beach I found new insight into the area. This informative guide is packed with history, information on natural resources and local trivia. I was not surprised to see Jackson's credentials. She knows her stuff! Congratulations Virginia Beach!



2. a great manual for a insider's look at a otherwise typical beach resort. the author shows you how with a little foot work you can visit first hand things that have a little more signifigance than a tacky t-shirt shop.



3. Virginia Beach can be a bit overwhelming and this book made my trip less stressful.

   I didn't actually walk any of the suggested walks, but did see many of the sights highlighted in this book.

   This little book is packed full of information. It's arranged in a logical manner and it's inexpensive. What more can you ask for?

3 comments about An Illustrated Guide to Eastern Woodland Wildflowers and Trees: 350 Plants Observed at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland (Center Books).

1. This book is far more detailed than any other wildflower guides I've seen but is written in simple language that I can understand. The illustrations are beautiful and so detailed that it makes it easy to identify wildflowers I find on Sugarloaf Mountain and in walks along the Potomac River. I like learning about medicinal uses of native plants and the book is filled with herbal lore. It's a friendly book that is scientifically accurate and detailed but also contains personal anecdotes in which the author's love of trees and wildflowers comes through. I carry both this book and the companion volume--Sugarloaf: The Mountain's History, Geology and Natural Lore on my hikes.

   One of my favorite things about the book is that the plants are organized according to families, with information about each plant family. It's fun to find members of the lily family and the rose family growing in the woods. The book helps you understand relationships between plants in a meaningful way. I like thinking about how this onion that I'm eating is related to the trout lily that grows along Sugarloaf Mountain's streams! Plus, its illustrated glossary is an extremely helpful learning tool.

   I recommend this field guide to everyone, from novice to experienced botanists.




2. This is from the July issue of Pomegranate Seeds
   pomegranateseeds@comcast.net

   THE GOOD WORD:
   A New Field Guide to Eastern
   Wildflowers, Trees and Shrubs
   by Jeri Metz

   I just purchased the most authoritative and readable field guide to wildflowers, herbs, shrubs, vines and trees for the Mid-Eastern United States. An Illustrated Guide to Eastern Woodland Wildflowers and Trees by Melanie Choukas-Bradley, illustrated by Tina Thieme Brown, is eminently readable and includes all the local native and naturalized species that grow abundantly here without any help from us. This is the perfect book for anyone who is interested in gardening with Mother Nature, creating a water-wise native plant garden, or just identifying the local plants while out walking and hiking. The author describes the plants with expert plant taxonomy, humor, and personal anecdotes, throwing in folklore and history where appropriate. She includes specifics on habitat and range, as well as bloom time and where the plants can be found when walking the trails of Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland. The illustrations, drawn from life, are simple and beautiful, appropriately delicate when describing fragile spring wildflowers, richly detailed and imposing when capturing the hardier species. They compliment every page they are on.

   The book is a love letter from two naturalists to their adored Sugarloaf Mountain, where they spent ten years hiking and painstakingly identifying the plants. They view the mountain as a rare gift and "a learning laboratory." But this guide is so much more than the plants on Sugarloaf Mountain. It covers every plant I could think to look up. It includes a very readable botanical key and a comprehensive illustrated glossary. There are suggested readings. But what makes it unique and exceptional in my library of field guides, is the personal touch in both the writings and drawings. The love that Choukas-Bradley and Brown feel for these plants jumps from the pages and I can feel and see how wondrous and magical each plant is for them. By sharing their reverence and respect for all these plants, they inspire while they educate.

   An Illustrated Guide to Eastern Woodland Wildflowers and Trees; 350 Plants Observed at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland, by Melanie Choukas-Bradley. Illustrated by Tina Thieme Brown. University of Virginia Press. $39.95 through the Audubon Naturalist Society and bookstores and on www.amazon.com.




3. This is the second in a series of 2 books on the Sugarloaf Mountain region in Barnesville, Maryland. A must-have for any local resident to Washington DC, Maryland or Virginia, you will literally feel like you are up on the mountain in the pages of this book, whose gorgeous illustrations and writing bring the mountain to life in any reader's mind as vividly as the real thing! More importantly, the beauty throughout the pages of this book will drive you out Hwy 70 right over to and up the mountain to see it first hand. One of the North-east's best kept treasures, Sugarloaf Mountain was once the runner-up for what became Camp David, this field guide provides readers with a truely tangible appreciation for why it was also among FDR's favorite resting spots! Make it yours too, beginning with this book!

1 comments about Chincoteague Revisited: A Sojourn to the Chincoteague and Assateague Islands.

1. Growing up in that area was truly a blessing. Through skilled photography and exceptional writing, this book captures the true essence of the islands, both past and present. It was a great read, a must have for anyone's collection!

No comments about Trout Streams of Virginia: An Angler's Guide to the Blue Ridge Watershed, Fourth Edition (Trout Streams of Virginia).

2 comments about Highland Trails: A Guide to Scenic Trails in Northeast Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and Southwest Virginia.

1. This is an excellent book for Tennessee waterfall enthusiasts. Mr. Plumb must have done a lot of in-depth research as his detailed directions to the trailheads and waterfalls are quite accurate, and his descriptions of the waterfalls themselves are vividly fitting. Amy and I have been to over 100 waterfalls in Tennessee and this book pointed out several waterfalls that we had never heard of. This book is a great tool to have while exploring the splendors of Tennessee!



2. This book was very helpful in giving me hiking directions to various waterfalls listed in the book. He also has pictures and ratings of most of the falls in his guide.
   I must have seen about 19 different waterfalls when I visited Tennessee last June and it was one of the best vacations I ever had!

1 comments about Native Orchids of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

1. This turns out to be an outstanding book and I'm very happy to have it. The text is pleasant to read, written in a friendly and personal way. The pictures are crisp and beautiful, and laid out nicely alongside the text for easy access while reading the description. One outstanding feature is the detailed habitat information based on the author's years of field experience in observing the habitats of each of these orchids. Another stand-out is that the author has done the photography himself, resulting in pictures that support and complement the text very well. I checked several books on orchids and wildflowers while trying to identify an orchid in my forest (which turns out to be a lily-leaved twayblade), and I found this book to be the best. In summary, I'm impressed with this book. I hope it will set a new standard for other books on regional wildflowers.

No comments about Marblehead;: The spirit of '76 lives here.

No comments about Doggin' The Tidewater" The 33 Best Places To Hike With Your Dog From The Northern Neck To Virginia Beach.