Field Guides

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.

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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.

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

Sea stars are amongst the most common and conspicuous invertebrates that thrive in the rich waters of the Pacific Northwest, from northern California to southeast Alaska. Worldwide there are more than 2,000 different species, but no other temperate region has a greater variety and abundance of these colourful and often very large echinoderms, which are closely related to sea urchins, sea cucumbers, brittle stars and feather stars. An underwater photographer, journalist and naturalist with over 40 years of diving experience, Neil McDaniel provides many original field observations to accompany his remarkable images of these fascinating animals.

This durable, water-resistant 8-fold field guide describes how to identify more than 30 species likely to be encountered by beach walkers and scuba enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest. It also provides intriguing details about their behaviour, including how they move about, hunt for prey, reproduce and avoid predators. It is an ideal companion for family explorations to the sea shore, an invaluable reference in any scuba diver's kit bag and a useful addition to the home library.

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2 pages | 3.21" x 8.92" | Pamphlet

With gorgeous full-colour photos arranged in an easy-to-use colour coded chart for quick identification, the pocket-sized format is perfect for taking along on walks and hikes through both the Pacific Northwest countryside as well as the urban wilds of West Coast cities. Supplying English and Latin names, the distribution range of each species and average plant height and flower size, Phillipa Hudson shares her knowledge of coast flora gained through over 30 years as an active amateur botanist.

At first glance, the ocean shoreline appears as a great expanse of beach, water and sky. Look closer – as the water recedes to low tide, an amazing world of fantastical creatures awaits your discovery. Tidepools are home to an extraordinary diversity of life arising from the need to survive this ever-changing and sometimes harsh environment. Let the Tidepool Twitcher be your guide to exploration and discover of the animals and seaweeds of the Pacific Northwest intertidal zone.

The Tidepool Twitcher is perfect for any beachcomber and includes full colour identification photos of crabs, barnacles, mollusks, chitons, nudibranchs, limpets, kelp, seaweeds, sea stars, urchins, sand dollars and cucumbers, anemones, sponge as well as info on tides and tidepool ettiquette.

There are few more enjoyable ways to spend a relaxing afternoon than at the seashore collecting ornate seashells. But there is no need to fly away to some exotic tropical locale to begin the fun. If you are in the Pacific Northwest, you will find local beaches as rich in fascinating treasures as any place on earth--or at least you will once you have this handy eight-fold guide to show you where to look and how to identify what you find. Those whose interest in shellfish is mainly gastronomic will also find this waterproof guide an essential tool.

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2 pages | 4.54" x 8.90" | 8 fold laminated pamphlet | 2 Pages

Learn answers to all the bird questions you've always wanted to ask in this beginner's guide, filled with wisdom and humour.

In 1983, Mike O'Connor opened the Bird Watcher's General Store, which might well have been the first store devoted solely to birding in North America. Since that time he has answered thousands of questions about birds, both at his store and while walking down the aisles of the supermarket.

The questions have ranged from:

- inquiries about individual species (Are flamingos really real?")
to
- what and when to feed birds ("Should I bring in my feeders for the summer?")
to
- the down-and-dirty specifics of backyard birding ("Why are the birds dropping poop in my pool?").

Answering the questions has been easy; keeping a straight face has been hard.

Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches? is the solution for the beginning birder who already has a book that explains the slight plumage variations between doves, but who is really much more interested in why birds sing at 4:30 a.m. instead of 7:00 a.m., or whether it's okay to feed bread to birds, or how birds rediscover your feeders so quickly when you've just filled them after a long vacation. Or, for that matter, whether flamingos are really real.

Reviews
"Mike O'Connor knows birds - I mean, REALLY knows them. He has been answering questions about birds for years, and he can deliver the straight scoop with a hilarious twist that makes it unforgettable. Reading this book is almost as much fun as bird watching, and that's saying a lot!" — Kenn Kaufman, author of the Kaufman Field Guide to the Birds of North America

"This is quite possibly the funniest bird book ever written. O'Connor has broken the mold of straight-laced bird books." — WildBird Magazine

"While O'Connor's detailed responses are full of ornithological facts, it's their humor and irreverence that make the book so entertaining." — Audubon Magazine

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224 pages | 6.00" x 9.00"

Have you ever been walking at the beach and wondered what that pebble or rock is, or do you ever wonder what stories rocks tell? If so, then this is the guide for you.
The Field Guide to the Identification of Pebbles is a full colour, laminated, accordion folded, easy-to-use guide with over 80 beautiful photographs of pebbles from beaches and rivers. Use the photos to identify over 28 different types of rocks and minerals. A great resource for Earth Science curriculum units in schools, the short text deals with how rocks form and how to tell if a rock is igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic. It also provides some fun facts about minerals in our daily lives.

Educator Information
This field guide is available in French: Guide pratique d'identification des cailloux

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2 pages | 4.40" x 9.00" | colour photos

This introductory field guide is designed for the beach explorer, the boater, the skin diver, and the scuba diver. Rick has limited its contents to the most common species, which can be seen from, or along, the seashore, or in the shallows. It's easy-to-spot features will guide the beginner into the wonderful world of the western seashore.

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48 pages | 5.50" x 8.50" | coloured photos throughout.

Northwest Coastal Wildflowers will help you identify the most common flowers of the coastal regions of Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. Identification is made easy by arranging the flowers by the colour of the petals, so that even the novice can simply open the book to the appropriate section and watch for the species in question. Northwest Coastal Wildflowers is illustrated with one or more colour photographs and is accompanied by identification tips.

Northwest Coastal Wildflowers is a part of the Northwest Wildflower Series, which also includes Northwest Mountain Flowers and Northwest Dryland Wildflowers. Mountain Flowers will help you identify the most common flowers of the mountain and alpine regions in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia; Dryland Wildflowers will help you identify the most common flowers of the drier areas east of the Pacific Crest in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia; and Coastal Wildflowers, as mentioned above, will help you identify the most common flowers of the coastal regions of Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. As a complete set, Dryland Wildflowers, Coastal Wildflowers and Mountain Wildflowers will enable you to identify over 500 of the wildflowers throughout the varied landscapes of the Northwest, and will thus continually draw your eye to beauty, adding to the enjoyment of any journey through the region.

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96 pages | 5.50" x 8.50" | 280 photos & colour line drawings

Northwest Mountain Wildflowers will help you identify the most common flowers of the mountain and alpine regions in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. Identification is made easy by arranging the flowers by the colour of the petals, so that even the novice can simply open the book to the appropriate section and watch for the species in question. Northwest Mountain Wildflowers is illustrated with one or more colour photographs and is accompanied by identification tips.

Northwest Mountain Wildflowers is a part of the Northwest Wildflower Series, which also includes Northwest Coastal Flowers and Northwest Dryland Wildflowers. Coastal Wildflowers will help you identify the most common flowers of the coastal regions of Washington, Oregon and British Columbia; Dryland Wildflowers will help you identify the most common flowers of the drier areas east of the Pacific Crest in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia; and Mountain Flowers, as mentioned above, will help you identify the most common flowers of the mountain and alpine regions in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. As a complete set, Dryland Wildflowers, Coastal Wildflowers and Mountain Wildflowers will enable you to identify over 500 of the wildflowers throughout the varied landscapes of the Northwest, and will thus continually draw your eye to beauty, adding to the enjoyment of any journey through the region.

Additional Information
96 pages | 5.50" x 8.50" | 280 photos & colour line drawings