Any appreciation of Louisiana's beautiful outdoors must include the lush variety of the state's ferns and lycophytes. Their striking diversity in form, color, and size makes identifying the array of species in the region enjoyable for hobbyists and professionals alike. With illustrations and full-color photographs accompanying a complete description of more than sixty varieties, Ray Neyland's A Field Guide to the Ferns and Lycophytes of Louisiana offers an engaging reference for all levels of interest and expertise. Detailed line drawings of plant structures, a glossary of terms, and dichotomous keys make discovering Louisiana's diverse fern family -- the second largest in the country -- both easy and enjoyable. In addition to providing the geographic range, similar species, and traditional and current uses, Neyland's guide follows the spread of ferns and lycophytes into areas of eastern Texas, southern Arkansas, and Mississippi.

Michigan’s ferns and lycophytes are among the state’s most fascinating plants. The species in these groups exhibit incredibly diverse life cycles and an amazing array of morphology. Some species such as the Bracken fern are widespread and aggressive, dominating forest understories throughout much of northern Michigan, while other species are exceedingly rare and adapted to life solely in harsh niche habitats where little else can grow. Unlike the well-studied flowering plants and gymnosperms, Michigan’s ferns and lycophytes have long lacked a reliable, up-to-date guidebook, and this book fills that gap. Covering all 120 taxa found in the state, it features detailed keys, species descriptions, and range maps alongside precise illustrations. Readers learn about the etymology of species’ common and scientific names as well as interesting facts about their historic uses by humans and place within the Michigan ecosystem. The book also provides information on the challenging taxonomy of many ferns and lycophytes, with special attention given to the species likely to hybridize and those prone to misidentification. This is a must-have reference for anyone who wishes to learn about these important components of the Great Lakes flora.

"We want to examine what the scientific evidence suggests is really going on when we eat food, and how we can eat and live in a way that best gives us the health benefits of a hunter-gatherer lifestyle while living in and enjoying the advantages of the modern world. We also hope to use the evidence to explore how we can increase our chances of avoiding chronic diseases, obesity, and other health problems -- the "Diseases of Civilization."--P. 7.

A comprehensive, richly illustrated photographic field guide to the ferns and lycophytes of the eastern United States and Canada This is a comprehensive photographic field guide to the ferns, spikemosses, clubmosses, and quillworts of eastern North America. Accessible yet scientifically accurate, the book will appeal to beginners and experts alike and enhance the field experience of any user. Keys, range maps, detailed color photographs, and facing-page species descriptions aid exploration and allow reliable identification of all 305 species found in the area covered by the book—the United States east of the Mississippi and contiguous Canada, except for extreme northern and northeastern Canada. An introduction provides an easy-to-understand overview of identifying characteristics, life cycles, and evolutionary history. Checklists allow readers to record species they have seen, in four subregions. Indexes feature a complete list of common and scientific names, including synonyms, ensuring that users can find the plants they are looking for and keep track of changes in taxonomy. In addition, information about hybrids, polyploids, and reticulate relationships is provided, illuminating the fascinating processes that have led to such a rich diversity of species. Modern and innovative, this is the definitive guide to the ferns and lycophytes of eastern North America. Covers all 305 species, belonging to 96 genera and 30 families Features detailed color photos of all species—and facing-page species descriptions Provides checklists for keeping track of species seen Includes common and scientific names and notable synonyms

While day-flying butterflies have long captured the attention of nature enthusiasts, moth species outnumber butterfly species by about fifteen to one, with many being overlooked due to their mostly nocturnal habits. Although they are far less noticeable to us, moths are essential to many other species, including the plants they pollinate and the animals they nourish. In their caterpillar or larval form they provide a primary source of sustenance for birds, and as adults they feed everything from tiny bats to large mammals. Native plants are of utmost importance for moths, as they evolved alongside them, and they are the principal factor for dictating moth species range and distribution. Like butterflies, moths require native plant species they recognize in order to lay their eggs. This user-friendly, heavily illustrated follow-up to Lynne and Jim Weber’s highly successful Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies describes over 100 native, larval host plants for moths in Texas. More than 150 moth species are illustrated in the book, both larval and adult phases, with one to two species for each of the larval host plants. Today there are about 4,700 species of moths recognized in Texas, with new species and their host plant associations still being discovered. Native Host Plants for Texas Moths will prove to be an informative introduction to this less widely known world of moths and their host plants, providing a better understanding of how to discover, support, and protect these important insects.

Acquired by the State of Texas in 1988 and first opened to the public as Big Bend State Natural Area in 1991, Big Bend Ranch State Park (BBR) lies within the southern Big Bend of the Trans-Pecos, encompassing some 492 square miles of the Chihuahuan Desert and representing nearly half the total acreage of the Texas state park system. Unlike nearby Big Bend National Park—BBR is relatively undiscovered, wild, challenging, and slightly intimidating. BBR is the “Other” Big Bend, christened the “Other Side of Nowhere,” a rugged wilderness outback for the adventuresome with 238 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding and 70 miles of challenging four-wheel drive roads where visitors can explore stunning geological features, remnants of the area’s 11,000-year human history, and a diversity of flora and fauna that rivals any area in the state. In this guidebook, photographer and naturalist Roy Morey walks visitors through the wild landscape, sharing what he has learned during eleven years of studying and photographing Big Bend Ranch State Park. Organized around the six physiographic regions of the park as outlined by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, The Other Side of Nowhere guides readers through the features and locations of the park and includes a field guide section with informative profiles and vivid imagery of 281 plant species. This definitive guide to Big Bend Ranch State Park is a must-have for visitors and an important botanical resource for the greater Big Bend and Trans-Pecos areas.