Plants and Animals

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.

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

Canada is home to a vast diversity of plants that have helped nourish and heal our people for thousands of years. Find out about:

* First Nations uses of plant species
* Gathering and preparing wild plants for a variety of uses
* Historic European uses of plant species
* Plants for everything from clothing to shelter
* The fundamentals of survival – food and medicines
* Clear descriptions of the plants and where to find them
* Warnings about plant allergies, poisons and digestive upsets
* A special section identifying poisonous plants and species that are similar
* More than 530 colour photographs and 125 illustrations.

Additional Information
448 pages | 5.50" x 8.50" | Paperback

Based on Métis artist Christi Belcourt’s painting “Medicines to Help Us,” this innovative and vibrant resource honours the centuries-old healing traditions of Métis women. With contributions from Métis Elders Rose Richardson and Olive Whitford, as well as key Michif phrases and terminology, Medicines to Help Us is the most accessible resource relating to Métis healing traditions produced to date.

Educator Information
This resource guide does not include the study prints referred to on the back cover and within the book. 

Michif Translators: Laura Burnoff and Rita Flamand

Elder Validation: Rose Richardson

Format: Book Only - English, with plant names in Michif, Nehiyawewin (Cree), and Anishinaabemowin (Ojibway)

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

Additional Information
224 pages | 6.00" x 9.00"

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.

Additional Information
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.

Additional Information
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

Living at the limits of our ordinary perception, mosses are a common but largely unnoticed element of the natural world. Gathering Moss is a beautifully written mix of science and personal reflection that invites readers to explore and learn from the elegantly simple lives of mosses.

In this series of linked personal essays, Robin Wall Kimmerer leads general readers and scientists alike to an understanding of how mosses live and how their lives are intertwined with the lives of countless other beings. Kimmerer explains the biology of mosses clearly and artfully, while at the same time reflecting on what these fascinating organisms have to teach us.

Drawing on her diverse experiences as a scientist, mother, teacher, and writer of Native American heritage, Kimmerer explains the stories of mosses in scientific terms as well as in the framework of indigenous ways of knowing. In her book, the natural history and cultural relationships of mosses become a powerful metaphor for ways of living in the world.

Reviews
"Robin Kimmerer . . . has written as good a book as you will find on a natural history subject. You will want to go outside and get on your knees with a hand lens and begin to probe this Lilliputian world she describes so beautifully." — Seattle Times

"It takes a certain kind of courage and passion to write an entire book on mosses . . . Kimmerer admirably rises to the challenge in her first book, Gathering Moss, opening up a world of rich surprises in the process. What we learn about mosses is breathtaking." — Orion

"An interesting account, both personal and exact, of an area of the vegetable kingdom that I often do not even notice . . . [a] passionate emphasis on something often most successfully appreciated by viewing through a microscope." — Jamaica Kincaid, The New York Times Book Review

"Bryologist Robin Wall Kimmerer may well be the next Annie Dillard. She is a wonderful wordsmith as well as a scientist, teacher, mother, and daughter of the Potawatomi tribe. Kimmerer brings all these levels of perception to the miniature landscapes she describes in this collection of essays." — The Olympian

Additional Information
176 pages | 6.25" x 9.00" | Line Drawings, Index | Paperback

Birding and butterfly watching have been popular outdoor activities for decades. Now, dragonfly watching is catching on as a fascinating and enjoyable pursuit. Dragonflies are large, colourful insects with amazing and easily observed behaviour. Noted entomologist Dr Robert Cannings introduces students, naturalists and outdoor enthusiasts to the world of dragonflies. In this compact book, he shows readers where to find dragonflies and how to watch and study them in the field.

In the introduction, Dr Cannings outlines the natural history of these insects - their structure, life cycles, habitats and behaviour. Then he describes the 88 species known in British Columbia and the Yukon, noting habitat preferences and distribution. To make identification easy, each description has one or more colour photographs and comparisons with similar species.