Illustrated by two hundred and sixty color plates, Nebraska Wild Flowers depicts and describes the most conspicuous native and naturalized flowers which continue to thrive or which have recently invaded the various habitats of the state after well over a hundred years of settlement. Most plant descriptions include the principal flower color, the time of blossoming, and the basis for the common and scientific names. The book also includes keys for identifying the plants, a glossary, and an index. As the only recent work on the subject intended for the general public, Nebraska Wild Flowers will be welcomed by all flower lovers in this region. It also will be useful as a reference manual or textbook in a variety of natural history or local flora courses. Robert C. Lommasson is a professor of botany at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he has taught since 1948. A native of Kansas, he holds A.B. and M.A. degrees from the University of Kansas and the Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.

From the mixed-grass prairies of the Panhandle in the west, to the Sandhills prairie and mixed-grass prairies in central Nebraska, to the tallgrass prairies in the east, the state is home to hundreds of wildflower species, yet the primary guide to these flowers has been out of print for almost two decades. Now back in a second edition with updated nomenclature, refined plant descriptions, better photographs where improvements were called for, and a new design, Jon Farrar’s Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska and the Great Plains, originally published by NEBRASKAland magazine and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, is a visual treat and educational guide to some of the region’s showiest and most interesting wildflowers. Organizing species by color, Farrar provides scientific, common, and family names; time of flowering; distribution both for Nebraska specifically and for the Great Plains in general; and preferred habitat including soil type and plant community from roadsides to woodlands to grasslands. Descriptions of each species are succinct and accessible; Farrar packs a surprising amount of information into a compact space. For many species, he includes intriguing notes about edibility, medicinal uses by Native Americans and early pioneers, similar species and varieties, hybridization, and changes in status as plants become uncommon or endangered. Superb color photographs allow each of the 274 wildflowers to be easily identified and pen-and-ink illustrations provide additional details for many species. It is a joy to have this new edition riding along on car seats and in backpacks helping naturalists at all levels of expertise explore prairies, woodlands, and wetlands in search of those ever-changing splashes of color we call wildflowers.

A brief outline of wild flowers of Nebraska, designed for use in study clubs.