In this day and age, one could easily use ones' cell phone, take a picture of a plant, namely in this case, a wildflower, and bingo ... discover its name, habitat, find usefulnesses such as medicinal uses besides its beauty, warnings of possible toxic characteristics and so on. But what's the fun in that?

A hand's-on experience would provide so many more learning-worthy encounters. This book could aid and guide a child in a serious outdoors, discovery class. I believe this book to be quite comprehensive in detailing how to identify various wildflowers (of the Pacific Northwest - in the USA).

Honing in on color, perceived number of petals a particular wildflower has, is a start in the discovery process, according to Ashley Erdely, the author. Erdely goes on to instruct that the month, habitat, climate, elevation and so many other variables, educated a child as to the where and when to find the wildflower in it's blooming state. These descriptions are accompanied by magnificient photography of the wildflowers, in fields of them and as individual flowers. In my opinion, this book would be very worth exploring.

There is a whole swathe of potential to explore, from white trilliums and Miner's Lettuce to yellow, blue, pink and purple blossoms and so much more; to poisonous plants to beware of and the bonus - the pollinators such as the birds, bees, beetle and more. I found this to be very interesting and my curiousity peaked.

Additionally, there are plenty of sidebars with extra information and at book's end, a glossary of terms. I believe this book would allow one to plan out a provisional itinery of where, when, and what to look for at almost any time of the year in the Pacific Northwest region. It is like an adventure one could do with ones' children, just waiting to happen.

~ Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger ~

June 2025

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.