United States
£ GBP
Indiana Dunes, located on the picturesque coast of Lake Michigan, is one of the most biologically diverse parks in the US national park system. Keen hikers can spot white mayapple blooms, orange-fringed orchids, pink lady slippers, and more.
Wildflowers of the Indiana Dunes National Park offers visitors a unique handbook highlighting over 160 of the common and exceptional wildflowers found along the trails of Indiana Dunes National Park and the surrounding area. This accessible field guide bypasses the dry nature of many wildflower guides. In addition to the usual scientific species names, descriptions, and bloom periods, Nathanael Pilla and Scott Namestnik offer deeper narratives – folklore surrounding the flowers, look-alikes, and animals associated with the plants – that will be remembered much more easily than the length of a petal.
Illustrated with over 350 colour photographs, Wildflowers of the Indiana Dunes National Park will be an asset to the casual hiker of Indiana Dunes National Park, a useful tool to the experienced botanist, and a delight to anyone interested in wildflowers.
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
2. Brief History of the Indiana Dunes National Park
3. Using This Guide
4. Plant Communities of the Indiana Dunes
5. White, Cream, and Green Flowers
6. Yellow Flowers
7. Orange Flowers
8. Red Flowers
9. Pink, Lavender, and Magenta Flowers
10. Violet and Blue Flowers
Glossary
Recommended Reading and References
Index
Nathanael Pilla is a botanist and musician. He fell in love with plants while living in Minneapolis and moved to Indiana to pursue botany. He received his master of science in biology from Purdue University Northwest. Nathanael is an active public speaker and nature enthusiast whose written work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals, including Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science. He currently resides in northwest Indiana.
Scott Namestnik has a degree in botany from Miami University and serves as the Natural Heritage Program Botanist at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources—Division of Nature Preserves, where he conducts botanical inventories, assesses sites for protection consideration, and documents and monitors endangered and threatened species. He is co-author (with Michael Homoya) of Wildflowers of the Midwest. He is based in northwest Indiana.
"The Indiana Dunes region has long been known for the remarkable variety of plants that inhabit its dunes, forests, grasslands, and wetlands. Its stature as a biological treasure has grown with its recent designation as a national park, with only six others drawing more annual visitors. While technical publications exist enumerating the varied plant life, this is the first volume to help the non-professional botanist unlock the floral diversity of this extraordinary place. For those with an interest in natural history, having a copy of this book in hand provides additional incentive to visit the park and will enhance your enjoyment during your stay."
– Joel Greenberg, author of A Natural History of the Chicago Region and A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction
"Indiana Dunes National Park, although much smaller in acreage, has at least as many native plants as Great Smoky Mountain and Grand Canyon national parks – and has landscape vistas just as compelling. The flora is so rich and singular in its array that there are some species that grow there and nowhere else on earth. The beauty and floristic fecundity of the Indiana dunes have inspired great botanists and conservationists since the late 1800s, but none more knowledgeable and dedicated to their tasks than Nathanael Pilla and Scott Namestnik. If beautiful landscapes and plants are your interests, and you have this book, you are in for a treat!"
– Gerould Wilhelm, Conservation Research Institute, co-author, with Laura Rericha, of the Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis
"Here's a book written by two expert botanists who obviously have a passion for plants. Very fun and informative! It will surely inspire you to seek out the many interesting and colorful wildflowers that occur in Indiana Dunes National Park. Every national park should have a guide this good."
– Michael A. Homoya, coauthor of Wildflowers of the Midwest
"Wildflowers of Indiana Dunes National Park is a compendium de rigueur of the park's splendid botanical riches, presented with authority and gusto by two of the most respected field botanists in the Great Lakes region."
– Bradford S. Slaughter, Orbis Environmental Consulting
