Birder/Botanist reviews the book

books:


	• Naturalist's Big Bend: An Introduction to the Trees and Shrubs, Wildflowers, Cacti, Mammals, Birds, Reptiles ... Roland H. Wauer, C. M. Fleming Texas A&M University Press, 2002 - 208 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A good start

This field guide give a good general introduction to Big Bend, but is disappointing when it is time to go deeper. Also, there is almost nothing on the geology of the region, a topic that deserves attention.

Functional and exciting!

I've been to Big Bend National Park several times. But this book introduced some plants and animals that I have seen, but not given much notice to. That will change on my next visit.

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Nature boy, this book's for you

Naturalist's Big Bend is a comprehensive overview of the flora and fauna of the Big Bend National Park region in Texas. Big Bend is unique for a couple of reasons. First, because the US/Mexico border dips south there, many species are found in the US only in this region. Secondly, as the climate changed following the last ice age, other species found themselves islanded in the cooler mountain ecosystems as the plains around them became deserts. These "sky islands" hold unique flora and fauna that has remained isolated for thousands of years.

Authors Wauer and Fleming have comprehensive first-hand knowledge of the park that comes through in every chapter. The book provides the advantage not only of their expertise but of their access to many unpublished Park Service and other reports and surveys of the park. The bibliography is the definitive go-to guide for anyone wishing to research any aspect of Big Bend's ecosystem. However, for a more personal tour of the park, you might prefer For All Seasons: A Big Bend Journal by author Wauer.

The book makes an excellent reference for the knowledgeable biologist or biology buff planning, enjoying, or remembering a visit to Big Bend National Park. Casual tourists will find the detail overwhelming and the illustrations miserly. With a bigger budget, this could have been a stunning illustrated field guide. As it is, most species rely on description alone for identification. There are a few black-and-white plates of plants, a limited number of fascinating black-and-white photos of animals, and a select group of stunning color photos that illustrate the diverse habitats found within the park.

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Good general naturalist's info

My husband and I both found this useful and interesting for our recent weeklong trip to Big Bend. I would recommend it more as preparatory reading before the trip, or evening reading at your room or campsite while in the park, than as a guide to specific areas or species. Also it is best used with oher books accompanying it rather than relying on it alone, such as hiking, lizard, flower, or birding book too, depending on your interests. The bibiography uses up about the last quarter of this rather slim book. So you may want to get it way ahead of your trip then order more books from the bibliography or elsewhere.

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Birder/Botanist reviews the book

A good set of lists, with location, for the various natural species found in Big Bend. Unfortunately drawings are not to scale and are not near the plant descriptions. The decriptions do not include any identifying characteristics such as bundles and number of needles, etc. The drawings are in black and white. It would be difficult to take with you as it is not eay to identify items by the descriptions and or drawings. You would need a plant book and bird book and tree book all in color to help you.

reviews: page 1, 2

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