The Wild Flower Book, by Donald Stokes: a Review

The Wildflower Book: East of the Rockies - A Complete Guide to Growing and Identifying Wildflowers by Donald Stokes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was very much written from the environmental moralist standpoint. That can be nice, but it can also be off-putting. I wish the pictures had included more than just the prettiest of blooms, but also pictures of the various plants throughout their annual lifecycle to help prevent the accidental weeding of precious wildflowers. The information could also have been improved upon by making it clear whether each plant discussed was edible or not. An occasional plant was described as poisonous or had a blurb regarding herbal or traditional uses, but on this subject, most plants' entries remained silent.
If you're wondering what that pretty flower you saw might have been called, it's a good book. If you're looking at wildflowers with a mind to foraging, it wasn't quite as useful.
I did appreciate the brief section outlining which "wildflowers" are pernicious weeds, rather, invasive imported species.