Miller Library Leaflet for Scholars header

Volume 1, Issue 3

JulietShen-FallReplenishment_smA 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
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.

rare plants book displaySpotlight 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!



New Books February 2014

Leaflet for Scholars is a regular online newsletter of the Elisabeth C. Miller Library
University of Washington Botanic Gardens
206.543.0415 |  hortlib@uw.eduwww.millerlibrary.org

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