Field Guides

Mary Siisip Geniusz has spent more than thirty years working with, living with, and using the Anishinaabe teachings, recipes, and botanical information she shares in Plants Have So Much to Give Us, All We Have to Do Is Ask. Geniusz gained much of the knowledge she writes about from her years as an oshkaabewis, a traditionally trained apprentice, and as friend to the late Keewaydinoquay, an Anishinaabe medicine woman from the Leelanau Peninsula in Michigan and a scholar, teacher, and practitioner in the field of native ethnobotany. Keewaydinoquay published little in her lifetime, yet Geniusz has carried on her legacy by making this body of knowledge accessible to a broader audience.

Geniusz teaches the ways she was taught—through stories. Sharing the traditional stories she learned at Keewaydinoquay’s side as well as stories from other American Indian traditions and her own experiences, Geniusz brings the plants to life with narratives that explain their uses, meaning, and history. Stories such as “Naanabozho and the Squeaky-Voice Plant” place the plants in cultural context and illustrate the belief in plants as cognizant beings. Covering a wide range of plants, from conifers to cattails to medicinal uses of yarrow, mullein, and dandelion, she explains how we can work with those beings to create food, simple medicines, and practical botanical tools.

Plants Have So Much to Give Us, All We Have to Do Is Ask makes this botanical information useful to native and nonnative healers and educators and places it in the context of the Anishinaabe culture that developed the knowledge and practice.

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344 pages | 7.00" x 10.00" | Paperback

If wild berry foragers followed vague advice such as "berries of red and you'll soon be dead" or "berries of blue will do harm to you" imagine how many of nature's delicacies would be passed by! On the other hand, for anyone who has thought twice before popping that delicious-looking morsel into their mouth, the reality of poisonous berries growing in the wild is reason enough to be berry aware.

With a basketful of information presented on a two-sided, lightweight and pocket-sized pamphlet, A Field Guide to Edible Fruits and Berries of the Pacific Northwest is the perfect resource for wild fruit- and berry-lovers of all ages, whether on a short walk in the woods or a backcountry hiking trip. In addition to more commonly identified specimens such as strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, explore the delicious possibilities of evergreen huckleberries, cloudberries and crowberries, and learn how to tell the edible lingonberry from the poisonous baneberry.

Each entry is illustrated with a colour photograph and accompanied by a brief description and seasonal availability to help identify more than forty kinds of fruits and berries found in the wild, along with information on how best to prepare and preserve the edible ones.

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2 pages | 37.00" x 9.00" | field guide with 50 colour photographs

Explore the fascinating world of Nunavut's diverse bird populations in this richly visual, informative book.

Through beautiful photographs and a broad range of information, readers will learn about the appearances, traditional uses, and behaviours of Arctic birds. With detailed information on more than 50 species, this book provides an in-depth look at Arctic birds.

Far from a barren land of ice and snow, this book will introduce readers to the vibrant natural life of Nunavut through its distinct ornithology.

Educator Information
While mainly a book about birds in Nunavut for young adults (pre-teens or teens) and adults, this resource also contains cultural information about the Inuit, including the Inuit's relationship to Nunavut birds, such as the value and uses of these birds, the Inuktitut names for birds, as well as local ecological knowledge.

This resource is also available in French: Les oiseaux du Nunavut

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174 pages | 9.00" x 6.50"

Do you know a tanager from a towhee? A goatsucker from a grosbeak? Here, after much demand, is a waterproof, portable 8-fold guide featuring 112 photos of the common birds found in coastal areas of Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska. Each species is labelled with common name, size, distribution range and favoured habitat. This full-colour pamphlet is useful to anyone who has an interest in taking up birdwatching, or just wants to figure out what's flitting about the birdfeeder.

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2 pages | 37.00" x 9.00" | field guide with 112 colour photographs

Nature heals! This compact field guide introduces readers to 26 common Canadian wild plants with extraordinary healing properties. Use arnica blossoms to heal muscle inflammation, improve digestion with chickweed and soothe a toothache with yarrow root--learning to identify and use wild medicinal plants is both fascinating and useful.

Each plant profile includes a colour photograph, identification and habitat information, as well as medicinal, cosmetic and culinary uses. Skilled herbalist Beverley Gray also includes tips on how to sustainably gather and safely use beneficial wild plants.

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2 pages | 4.50" x 8.70" | 30 photographs | Pamphlet

Was that a lynx or a bobcat? A nuthatch or a chickadee?

A Field Guide to Wildlife of the Rocky Mountains is a must-have for any visitor to the Rocky Mountain region of British Columbia, Alberta, Montana and Idaho.

Featuring over a hundred superb full-colour photos, this pamphlet provides an essential look at the variety of animals one is most likely to encounter on the area's park trails and roadsides. Information on the size of each animal, as well as the common and Latin names makes it easy to identify wildlife. Similar species are grouped by appearance for easy comparison. Handy on the trails, this field guide is also the perfect souvenir of the abundance of wildlife to be found in the Rocky Mountains.

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2 pages | 4.60" x 8.80" | 105 Colour Photographs

This easy-to-use handbook offers information about common mushrooms from Alaska and northwestern Canada to Saskatchewan in the east and south to the US states of the Pacific northwest. Using crisp, colourful images, Duane Sept illustrates more than 130 species of edible, poisonous and other interesting mushrooms. Inside you’ll find:

~ In depth descriptions for 130 species
~ Details on edible, poisonous, hallucinogenic and other fascinating fungi
~ More than 150 fascinating fungi
~ More that 150 spectacular photographs
~ Tips and techniques for freezing, canning and drying mushrooms
~ Additional information about mushroom ecology, making spore prints and more
~ New edition includes updated scientific names and new species

Explore the fascinating world of Nunavut’s diverse rocks and minerals in this richly visual, informative book.

Through beautiful photographs and a broad range of information—with absorbing “Did You Know?” facts to accompany every account—readers will learn about the appearances, traditional and modern uses, and environments of eastern Arctic rocks and minerals. Covered in this book is everything from diamond to granite, from the most precious to the most common stone. 

Readers will learn about rocks and minerals, as well as how their use has been important to the survival of the Inuit.

Far from a barren land of ice and snow, this book will introduce readers to the vibrant natural life of Nunavut through its distinct geology.

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242 pages | 6.50" x 9.00"

With gorgeous full-colour photos arranged in an easy-to-use colour-coded chart for quick identification, this pocket-sized laminated pamphlet is perfect for taking along on walks and hikes through the Rocky Mountains, from BC and Alberta to New Mexico. Supplying English and Latin names, the distribution range of each species and average plant height and flower size, Halle Flygare shares his knowledge and pictures of flora gained through over 30 years as a photographer, park warden and guide in the Rocky Mountains.

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2 pages | 4.50" x 9.00" | 112 Colour Photographs 

This laminated guide features twenty-six native trees commonly found from Alaska to Oregon, providing common and Latin names accompanied by colour photographs of identifying features such as bark, leaves or needles, flowers, cones, seeds and fruit. Information on identification, range and an illustration of each tree's silhouette make it a snap to distinguish a shore pine from a western white pine or a trembling aspen from a paper birch. Also included are traditional uses and other interesting tree facts and lore. For example, did you know that yellow cedar can live up to 5,000 years? Or that the bigleaf maple flowers are edible? Next time you go for a hike, pay attention to the forest and the trees with one of these laminated guides slipped into your back pocket or backpack.

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2 pages | 37.00" x 9.00" | color photographs and illustrations | pamphlet 

Welcome to the secret world of tracks, sign and the animals that made them. Signs of the who, what and where of wildlife are all around us, even when their makers are too shy to come closer. This new guide is the key to unlocking the natural world that shares our environment, by day and by night. All we have to do is take the time to observe and interpret the signs.

The book features nearly 50 species with photos of tracks, scat and other signs, as well as drawings of tracks, track patterns, distribution maps and interesting details on the appearance, habitat and behavior of each species. Information on 20 additional species is also included, to help identify other species in the area and to distinguish one animal from another. There is even a ruler on the back cover. Tracking is detective work—fun, stimulating and very inspiring for anyone who is ready to “meet” the animals that share our landscape, by studying the fascinating clues they leave behind.

Explore the fascinating world of Nunavut's insects in this richly visual, informative book. Through beautiful photographs and a broad range of information—including traditional knowledge compiled through interviews with Inuit elders—readers will learn about the appearances, adaptations, life cycles, and behaviors of the diverse array of arthropods that live in the North.

This detailed non-fiction book is perfect for middle school and high school students looking to learn about the insects that survive in one of the world's coldest climates.

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32 pages | 9.00" x 6.50"

This portable 8-fold guide is the perfect companion to Phillipa Hudson's easy-to-use Coastal Flowers of the Pacific Northwest, and features 112 spectacular photos of flowers found from the mid to alpine elevations on Vancouver Island and the Coast Mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Organized into a two-sided colour coded chart with a ruler printed on the back cover, this handy guide will aid in the quick identification of almost any flower one is likely to encounter in the higher realms of the Pacific Northwest, from exquisite yellow glacier lilies to elusive alpine pussy-toes. Labelled with both English and Latin names with descriptions of each species' distribution range and average plant height and flower size, this full-colour pamphlet is useful to budding botanists as well as more accomplished flower enthusiasts.

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2 pages | 4.62" x 8.42" | 112+ Colour Photos | Pamphlet 

A Field Guide to Edible Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest is a waterproof pocket-sized guide with full-colour photographs of mushrooms from Pacific Northwest trails and roadsides, forests and lawns. With this guide, identify over thirty common and easily-recognized edible mushrooms--and stay away from their not-so-edible look-alikes. Discover boletes, chanterelles, matsutake, shaggy mane, cauliflower, candy cap and many other tasty wild mushrooms. Easy to use and light to carry, this compact text is a must-have for all mushroom lovers who delight in searching for the next macrofungi bonanza.

Additional Information
2 pages | 37.00" x 9.00" | waterproof, pocket-sized guide with 50+ colour photographs

This full-colour, laminated field guide is your introduction to the beauty and wonder of the gemstones found in the Pacific Northwest, a region famous for its variety and quality of earth treasures.

From purple amethyst, carnelian, chalcedony, black and white onyx and emeralds to sodalite, sapphire and many more valuable stones--discover what lies in the rich geology just below your feet. This convenient brochure will help you to develop a keen eye for spotting gems in the rough and become more knowledgeable about local gemstones that are the equal of any in the world.

Additional Information
2 pages | 37.00" x 9.00" | colour photographs | pamphlet