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Volume 1, Issue 3
 A Wetlands Affair: Drawings of the
Union Bay Natural Area
Artist Juliet Shen
has adopted the Union Bay Natural Area as her outdoor studio, drawing
there from her small folding stool through all four seasons. Her
drawings of the area will be on display at theMiller Library through March 31, 2014.
Juliet has a masters degree in typeface design and teaches typography at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. She is the designer of a new typeface for the Lushootseed language based on shapes found in traditional Salish art.
A portion of the proceeds from artwork sales benefit the Library.
Alpine Plants of the Northwest
by Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon
Lone Pine, 2013
Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon became household names, at least among
those households interested in native plants, with the publication in
1994 of Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast . It has been the most popular field guide in the Miller Library ever
since its introduction because of its clarity, organization, plant keys,
and many features that give it added value.
Now, the two British Columbia authors/editors have matched their earlier work with a new title, Alpine Plants of the Northwest. While the previous work was a comprehensive study of all plants west
of the Cascades, this book extends to the alpine and subalpine areas
from the coast east to the Rockies, including north to the Yukon and
Alaska. This is a large region, but as the number of plants that thrive
above the timberline is limited it is a quite manageable guide,
especially for those who hike in these areas. Like the earlier book,
the Lone Pine publication has a soft but weather resistant cover, making
it worth having at least one copy in your hiking party.
This model for field guides anywhere is a good blend of information for a
broad range of competencies. Detailed keys required by the
knowledgeable are nicely matched with photographs, drawings, and
descriptions that will aid anyone in identification. Vexing,
hard-to-distinguish species have additional aids, such as a conspectus
with descriptive comparisons of both leaves and flowers of the many
Potentilla, or leaf silhouettes of the members of the Carrot Family
(Apiaceae).
But even if you are not a high country traveler, there is much to
recommend in this book. The extensive introduction is much more than a
how-to-use-this-guide as it provides an excellent background to the
geology and climate (both historical and as changing) of the area of
study, and the adaptations of the plant life. (Read more here.)
Reviewed by Curator of Horticultural Literature, Brian Thompson. Excerpted from the Fall 2013 Arboretum Bulletin.
 Spotlight on rare and endangered plants
As you plan your spring research and travel, be sure to visit the library. Our best plant diversity conservation and rare plant identification resources are
now on display near the north windows. You are welcome to borrow items on
display from our lending collection.
Next month you'll want to read Brian's review of
Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Washington, a recent contribution to the field-stay tuned!
               
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