Identification books

[Craig M]

A wile back, somebody was asking about some tree and folige identification books that was speficily related to Michigan. I tried a search but came up with nothing. If any of you nice folks remember some of the names of the books sugested, I'd be greatful if you'd let me know. The older I get, the more stupid I must be getting. Well, that's what my wife thinks....

Thanks in advance,

Craig M

[Huntnut]

Craig,
A couple years back I published a food identification manual for the WT deer in North America.
It is full of info.
There are over 80 species of natural browse species identified, complete with illustrations of leaves, fruits, and where in North America this plant/tree is found.
The whole manual revolves around identifying natural food sources of the WT deer. It is a field manual that will easily fit in your pack.
I have a few copies laying around....e-mail me if you might be interested.
Otherwise....there are many identification manuals I own...if you're looking for something to identify every tree and shrub in the MI woods...I can give you a couple titles to check out.
Huntnut

huntnut@hotmail.com

[Youper]

I found a book at my local book seller called Michigan Trees . It was originally published in the 30's, and then this edition was updated in the 80's. I find it very helpful for identification and general information. It is still in print, and probably some botany classes use it.

[o town]

Craig,
The Audubon Society field guides are pretty good and they should publish one just on MI as they do for FL, but we found it was a bit too general and omitted a lot of stuff.
Their general 'Guide to Trees' should work well for you.
There are other guides published and we have several for cross reference as pics and even descriptions vary slightly.
One cool thing we just started was cataloging our place. I had been doing it for mushrooms for a few years and have 34 species so far. Since I got my cheapo digital camera I've been wandering around here on weekends taking pics and burning them on CD for reference. We are starting on trees and plants and it's mind boggling at the numbers on the projected list. Wait until we get to insects! We have 6 species of lizards and 11 frogs.
It's fun taking kids out for ID and I usually learn more from them than they from me. If you live in town, pick a park or other area or ask a farmer nearby. It's amazing what you can find in your own back yard if you look.

o town

[ESOX]

I have a set of Golden Nature Guides that my father bought me in the late 60's. I have seen them for sale used on Amazon. They are pocket sized books that put such subjects as fungi and mosses, reptiles, trees, etc. in pocket sized manuals. I don't know if there are more current editions available, but I love my set.