Looking for some small identification cards/books, suggestions?

peripatew

peripatew

Joined
Jul 31, 2007
Messages
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Right now I'd really like one for trees. Perhaps specific to the Pacific Northwest. I've seen what look to be some small laminated cards on a ring that look nice. I don't mind a smaller book, but something simple would be preferred. I don't need an arborist's text book!

I'd also be interested in some suggestions for wildlife identification as well. If there was a good general book that contained a lot of different categories for identification, well that would be nice too.

Thanks!
 
i can't give you specifics because of the variety of local publishers. For example, my favorite for here is "edible plants of California" with my general mushroom book, a small gardening guide for invasives and a tiny trees guide i picked up at a park ranger station.

What i can say is to hit the local state, national, and botanical parks and see what's there that isn't in Barnes and Noble. The free guides you sometimes get can be cut up and put into a moleskine with notes on locations and times of year and suchlike.

Your local university will also have an extension with a master gardener program, there will be a LOT of information available through that. Some of that info will seem unimportant, but the soil types, seasonal planting guides, common invasives and weeds are all very helpful from both the perspective of learning your local wilds and survival foraging practalities.

My family and I do forage quite a bit in our area, and while there's only so many acorns and cat tails you care to make into food, learning the mediterranean climate edibles has been invaluable as several species have run wild since settlement.
 
Make your own tiny identification guide. Use good high res pictures from the internet have them printed and laminate them and store them on a small ring or carabiner.
 
denverco said:
Make your own tiny identification guide. Use good high res pictures from the internet have them printed and laminate them and store them on a small ring or carabiner.
Click to expand...

That's a great idea. Just be sure that the image you are capturing is the plant you want. Sometimes on Google Image Search, I have typed in a plant and some of the pictures were not the plant I wanted.

Doc
 
Make it customized to a specific area. Even if you go to the library and xerox pictures from books. Write on the back of each card with notes. Specific locations you encounter them and in what season and cooking methods. Condense all the information you need.
 
I like this idea a lot, especially since I would be able to customize it however I wanted, and I think my wife and son would enjoy it as well. My only concern would be not knowing the right "items", trees for right now, to pick. Although, I guess by doing research before hand, and by photographing trees (or trying to remember them) I could figure out what I was missing.

Hum... I like this idea a lot! I could also try to be artistic and draw my own renditions of the trees!

Thanks for the ideas!
 
naked said:
Hum... I like this idea a lot! I could also try to be artistic and draw my own renditions of the trees! Thanks for the ideas!
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Drawing plants and trees can be very educational. It forces you to look at the minute details that make up the plant.

Doc
 
Check out Smith family bookstore on campus and 5th and Willamette.
They usually have a ton of used field guides at half price.
be safe... Ted
 
TedPalmer said:
Check out Smith family bookstore on campus and 5th and Willamette.
They usually have a ton of used field guides at half price.
be safe... Ted
Click to expand...

Thanks Ted! You live in Eugene? I've been looking for someone who might know the nearby "wilderness".
 
naked said:
Right now I'd really like one for trees. Perhaps specific to the Pacific Northwest. I've seen what look to be some small laminated cards on a ring that look nice. I don't mind a smaller book, but something simple would be preferred. I don't need an arborist's text book!

I'd also be interested in some suggestions for wildlife identification as well. If there was a good general book that contained a lot of different categories for identification, well that would be nice too.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

www.campmor.com has loads of them:D
 
For plants I recomend going to Barnes & Nobles...for Animals, you can get tracking guides for free from your local fish and wildlife. Gene
 
naked said:
Thanks Ted! You live in Eugene? I've been looking for someone who might know the nearby "wilderness".
Click to expand...

no blue jean for me :D
I live out in the coast range, west of the valley, on the second major ridge in from the valley.
On a clear day we can see all the way to the sisters.
be safe... Ted
 
if you're gonna make your own be sure to laminate them. its cheap and they will last a while. i have first aid "flash cards" with english and spanish that were given to me five or so years ago that have held up fine through their fair share of camping and traveling.
 
I picked these up recently, they make them for first aid and other topics as well. I got the the trees and tracks for my AO... They are pretty good

mike089.jpg
 
Yep, Campmor sells that kind too, and the folding pamphlet kind. If you are really wanting to do accurate plant id, spend the money on a book with real photos of the plants.
 
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