FOLIO ON FOLIAGE FOR FOLLOWERS OF THE FEATHERED

TREES OF WESTERN NORTH AMERICA. By Richard Spellenberg, Christopher Earle, Gil Nelson. Princeton University Press. 560 pages. $29.95. This book was just published.
If you live anywhere in the western U.S. this book has any tree you might see. Whether you’re on the pacific Crest Trail, hiking Glacier National Park staring at some odd tree across the street from your nearest parking lot, the trees you see you’ll see in this book.
All the natives are here, of course. So are all the exotics whether from South Carolina or South Africa.
Good illustrations and range maps. Color depictions of leaves, bark and flowers.
And without all those trees, where would our birds be?
This field guide is small enough to fit into a large coat pocket or any backpack. About the size of the regional National Geographic bird guides. Has the same plasticized jacket so it will withstand your leaking water bottle or a bit of rain.
Here’s a sample of the entries on specific tree species:

The book includes not just towering trees but many woody shrubs such as sagebrush.

This last photo is a madrone going through its annual bark and leaf shedding in late summer. Did you know there are other species of madrone native to the U.S.? I had no idea until I got this book. They are the Texas and Arizona madrones and have tiny ranges compared to “my” Pacific madrone which is found from Big Sur north to British Columbia but never far from the ocean.

Tags: madrone, trees, western U.S.