Identifying Wildflowers
FalconGuides is a major producer of books for
all types of outdoor activities, including guides to
both finding and identifying wildflowers. Three
recent additions to the Miller Library by this
publisher are excellent compliments to the library
of a native plant gardener in our greater region.
Damian Fagan is a University of Washington
graduate in botany who now lives in Oregon.
His “Wildflowers of Oregon” introduces 400 of
the most common wildflowers from across that
state, arranged by colors. The majority of these
are herbaceous plants, but trees and shrubs with
prominent flowers are included. Most of the
featured plants range northward into Washington
and even British Columbia, making this a useful
reference throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Comments with each flower typically include
the source of the botanical name. For example,
I learned that Tellima (as in Tellima grandiflora,
or fringecup) “is an anagram of Mitella, another
genus in the Saxifrage Family.” Other notes
discuss ethnobotanical uses or hints on distin-
guishing between similar species.
I would recommend this book for the more
casual observer. A glossary is provided, but the
descriptions mostly use non-technical terms.
The selected species are the ones most commonly
seen in the region, and the single photograph—
along with the descriptive text—should suffice in
most cases for identification. (There are no ID
keys.) The author co-dedicates the book to the
memory of Art Kruckeberg.
28 v Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin
By the same publisher is “Plants of
Northern California,” by Eva Begley.
This is a bigger book—as it includes
non-flowering plants such as conifers
and ferns and the descriptions tend to
run longer, especially for woody plants.
The geographic scope is essentially
north of San Francisco, west of the
Sierra Nevada range, and south of the
Oregon border.
Unlike the Fagan book, this one
is not arranged by flower color. The
author explains: “In short, dear reader,
you may find it hard to identify all the
plants you encounter in northern California, and
you certainly won’t find every one in this book.
By organizing the book according to families,
though, rather than flower color, I hope to help
you at least to place many plants not included
here in their correct family or genus.”
Without a field test, I can’t comment on
this approach for identification, but I did find it
effective for reading through the book, allow-
ing me to concentrate on all the species in a
single genus. For example, being able to read
about all the monkey flowers (Mimulus species),
in their wide array of colors, in one place gave
me a greater appreciation for the genus that
includes annuals, perennials, and even shrubs.
The writing is very engaging, although I did balk
at Rhododendron macrophyllum, the state flower of
Washington, being called a “California rhodo-
dendron.” Harrumph!
Hikes to Wildflowers
While there isn’t a recent FalconGuides book
specific to the wildflowers of Washington, the
publisher’s 2016 title “Best Wildflower Hikes
Western Washington,” by Peter Stekel is perhaps
an even better choice for the Seattle area native-
plant fancier. The guide provides a list of favorite
hikes, many in or near our three national parks,
but some also focusing on easy, lowland walks,
including on the San Juan Islands. Each will take
you past areas where wildflowers are promi-
nent in season or to especially good stands of
native trees. A thorough introduction provides