I’ve got a fairly good green thumb and can recognize many plants … that grow to about waist height or so. But I am woefully ignorant about trees and tree identification, and am looking for The Perfect Tree Guide. It needs to have color photographs (both closeups of the leaves, and distant shots showing the shape of the overall canopy) plus growing requirements, etc.
Anyone want to share the name of their favorite? Any other features I should be looking for?
Despite the title, I’m considering books on all of North America as well, but I wouldn’t mind something that’s more specialized to the warmer U.S. regions.
(Mods, if you feel this should be punted over to Cafe Society, please accept my apologies - I wasn’t sure which of the forums was more appropriate.)
I would recommend the Sibley Guide to Trees by David Allen Sibley. It features illustrations rather than photos, but illustrations are usually more useful for field identification. It doesn’t have growing requirements, though.
Online resources include: Native Trees of Texas, Texas Forest Service, and Native Plant Society of Texas. I notice that the TX Native Plant Society has an upcoming October conference in Denton, with many field trips. This is a great way to learn the local flora with experienced botanists.
Huh. Lovely images - thanks! (I see Sibley has a bird guide too.) You’re right about illustrations being better than photos, now that I think about it.