California’s Wild Gardens: A Guide to Favorite Botanical Sites

by Phyllis M. Faber (Editor)

California's Wild Gardens showcases the splendid abundance of California's native plants in their natural settings—from foggy rain forests and rolling grasslands to high alpine meadows and parched deserts. The book offers a close-up look at more than one hundred special sites in the state, highlighting their distinctive ecology, the rare and unique plants found in them, and some of their more familiar botanical treasures. With its spectacular color photographs and lively writing by some of California's best biologists and ecologists, California's Wild Gardens is the perfect introduction to the state's remarkable botanical diversity. Like the best travel guides, it will inspire its readers to further explore California's natural heritage. In addition to illuminating California's botanical bounty, this book discusses threats facing the state's flora and describes protection efforts now under way.

Genres: Nature

248 pages, Paperback

First published March 22, 2005

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful introduction to all the great botanical sites in California

[Scott Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love every photo - - and I want to visit every site covered by this book, plus see the many of the rare plants found in each place! Some of my favorite places described: North Fork of the Smith River, Russian Peak, Santa Lucia Mountains, North Table Mountain, White Mountains, Death Valley, East Mojave and Anza Borrego - - to name just a few. I also have a very warm place in my heart for the Marin County California Native Plant Society and for Ms. Faber's (editor of this book) depth of knowledge of California flora. I would also like to acknowledge Doreen Smith who taught field Botany evening courses at the College of Marin and led informative field trips in Marin County! We would truly be poorer without the botanical love and expertise of these two wonderful persons!