Ontario Wildflowers: 101 Wayside Flowers
by Linda Kershaw, 2002, Lone Pine Publishing, Edmonton AB, Canada
Review by *G. A. Bickel
This book is a field guide and an introduction to the identification
and appreciation of wildflowers. As defined in the subtitle,
only 101 wayside flowers (found in Ontario) fall within the scope
of this guide. Wayside wildflowers are those that are found in
abundance along highways, pastures, orchards and abandoned lots.
A single page is devoted to each species and includes: two color
photographs (habit and close-up), notes on natural history and
human uses, and a verbal description of the plant. The book introduction
provides discussions on identifying wildflowers, guidelines for
picking, risks (poisonings and allergic reactions), naming conventions,
and use of a key. The book also features an illustrated glossary.
Linda Kershaw has a clear and simple mission in mind for this
book - to get people of all ages to appreciate wildflowers. She
chooses accessible, easily identifiable wildflowers and provides
interesting discussions about each. Those choices help to minimize
the frustration of wildflower identification often encountered
when using more comprehensive field guides. The sections found
in the introduction are very informative to the beginner. The
illustrated key to the 101 flowers described in the book, serves
as a simple example for understanding how to navigate a dichotomous
key. The book also offers an excellent perspective on wildflower
picking and collecting. One unique section, entitled: "Fun
With Flowers", provides some ideas on arts and crafts using
dried flowers. All of these features makes this book very enjoyable
and educational and should stimulate the interest of many potential
naturalists.
*Grant has a passion for native orchids, is an excellent photographer
and loves nothing better than slogging through bogs in pursuit
of new plant species.
Review by *Lauren Trute
Ontario Wildflowers will be an excellent book for the beginner
naturalist and gardener alike. The pictures are excellent, and
the close-ups are an added bonus. The book is organized by family
and flower structure, which is practical, but may be confusing
to beginners. The colour guide to the flowers at the beginning
of the bookis a quick 'match the picture' reference and should
be especially useful. The majority of the information for each
plant consists of traditional or historical uses.
In my opinion, two things hinder the book's usefulness: the use
of common names and the lack of habitat information. The common
names used in the book are not necessarily those found in Ontario
Plants (the MNR's official list of Ontario plants) or other field
guides to Ontario flora. As a result, a plant may be more difficult
to look up, if the user is not familiar with the scientific name.
Since many of the flowers are 'wayside' flowers that have
adapted to many different environments, it would be difficult
to describe every habitat in which they are found. However, information
such as soil type (e.g. sandy) or associated forest or plant
species (e.g. coniferous forests) would have been a useful addition.
The quality of the photographs in Ontario Wildflowers makes
this book a worthwhile addition to a plant guide collection,
however, it would not be my first choice to take in the field.
*Lauren is a biologist and Species-at-Risk Technician with the
MNR, Pembroke District. She enjoys identifying creepy-crawlies
and things that eat them, especially if they have wings.
Review by *Manson Fleguel
When I was asked to review this book, I thought to myself
, "I know almost nothing about plants in our area, so this
should be a learning experience for me", and it has been!
The following comments are from a complete novice in this field.
The book has an inviting cover, having a white Trillium on a
green background on the front cover and a mini grouping of the
main flower types (in colour) on the back. The price, $16.95,
is clearly shown there also. The spine shows the author as Linda
Kershaw.
As a field guide, the first 5 pages inside show thumbnail
pictures of all 101 flowers inside for speedy identification
without having to page the entire book to find the particular
plant you are interested in. The flowers are arranged logically
from orange, through yellow, white, pink, red, mauve, purple
and blue. A page number is indicated below each thumbnail for
more detailed information about the species.
The next few pages deal with tips on identification, issues
such as picking or only enjoying, scientific versus common names
and the traditional uses made ofthese 'weeds'. A key to identification
is next with 8 pages dedicated to teaching novices how to classify
and identify a particular plant they may be looking at. This
section guides one to ask, "Is the flower large or small?"
The answer sends the reader to a second stage where another series
of questions guides him to more closely examine the structure
of the flower, and further questions till only a very few species
are possible as the answer. 101 pages are dedicated to larger
pictures of each of the species in the book. The colour pictures
are excellent, there is a biography of each as well as information
on the general plant structure and height. Timing of flowering
is given, together with possible fruit, the habitat where the
plant is likely to be found and its distribution in North America.
The final pages are dedicated to a glossary and index. I
had taken the time to look at the book before a trip to the East
Coast. A few species somehow stuck in my mind and one, Common
Tansy, was present on almost every roadside there and even on
the hillside just below the fortifications in old Quebec City!
Previously, I would have thought it another form of Goldenrod!
Another, the Spotted Knapweed was very common in large patches
in Nova Scotia. To my eye, it looked somewhat like a field of
Canada Thistle with its mauve blossoms nodding in the breeze.
The book is written clearly, the pictures are realistic,
allowing the reader to get a sense of the plant size and leaf
and stem makeup as well as the colour of the flower. Plants that
could be hazardous, such as Poison Ivy or Stinging Nettles are
shown in their own section as such. Other plants, which could
be uncomfortable to the touch, such as Canada Thistle, are noted
in the text for that species. The price is certainly reasonable
for a book such as this. There is a soft cover that allows one
to use it in the field easily.
On the negative side, the book only has 101 species. This
limits its use as a field guide, even though it covers most of
the common species. Also, size is 5.5 by 8.5 inches, a bit large
My perfect guide would be a full colour, soft cover, and small
book containing ALL the possible species in Ontario. My only
comparison book is the Peterson guide which, I presume has all
the species, but has many of the plant species as black and white
drawings (albeit in the appropriate colour section of the book).
My overall opinion: The book will be a beautiful addition
to anyone's library.
*Manson is a birder by passion but likes to know what he's stepping
on.
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