Guides for the Wildflower Pilgrim Available to Purchase

Every April thousands of “pilgrims” from all over the world flock to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage. This region of the country, lavish with colorful flora, richly rewards the nature lover's devotion. Wildflowers can be found almost anywhere, if one knows what to look for and how to look. Field guides provide the keys the nature lover needs to become acquainted with the flora of a particular region. There are currently well over 100 books in print that offer guidance, through illustrations, descriptions, and various methods of identification, in recognizing the most representative wildflowers of every part of the United States. This review will examine 15 of these guides, chosen to exemplify the books available on the wildflowers of major regions.