Recommended Reading

Ecosystems

Eastern Forrests

• Eastern Forests, Peterson Field Guide

• Woods Walk

Oceans

• Seashores; Lester Ingle, Herbert S. Zim, et al.  (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

• Atlantic Seashore: From the Bay of Fundy to Cape Hatteras (Peterson Field Guide)

• Field Guide to North American Seashore Creatures, National Audubon Socieity

• Seashells; R. Tucker Abbott , Herbert S. Zim , et al.  (A Golden Nature Guide from St. Martin's Press)

• Oceans for Every Kid, Janice VanCleave's

• Common Plants of the Mid-Atlantic Coast, Silberhorn

• Seashells of the World, A Golden Guide

Ponds

• Pond Life; George K. Reid, Sally D. Kaicher, et al  (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

• Backyard Ponds, Maryland DNR

Bogs and Fens

• Bogs & Fens, Davis, University Press of New England

Regions

Chesapeake Watershed

• Cheasapeake Watershed, Tillman

• The Bay

Smoky Mountains

• Wildflowers of the Smokies, Brewer & Friends

• Mannals of the Smokies, Greate Smoky Mountain Association

Southwest

• Field Guide to the Southwestern States, National Audubon Society

• Cacti of the Desert Southwest, Rio Nuevo

• Philmont FIeld Guide, Philmont Scout Ranch

West

• Field Guide to California, National Audubon Society

Flora

• Edible Wild Plants and Useful Herbs, Globe Peouot (Basic Essentials)

• Southeast Foraging, Chris Bennett

• Flowers and Herbs of Early America, Lawrance D. Griffith

• Traditional Food Plants, Fao

• Manual of Woody Landsape Plants, Dirr

• Finding Wilflowers in the Washington-Baltimore Area, Fleming, et al

• Wildflowers of North America, (Ultimate Guide)

• Keystone Species by Ecoregion, National Wildlife Foundation

• Keystone Plants, Homegrown National Park

Wildflowers

• Wildflowers; Alexander C. Martin, Herbert S. Zim , et al.  (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

• Field Guide to Wildflowers of North America, Brandenburg (National Wildlife Federation)

• Newcomb's Wildflower Guide, Lawrence Newcomb

• Field Guide to Wildflowrs of Northeastern and North-central North America, Pertson & McKenny (Peterson Field Guide)

Weeds

• Weeds; Alexander C. Martin and Jean Zallinger (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

• Weeds of the Northeast, UVA Neal, et al

• Plant Invaders of the Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas

Trees

• Trees; Alexander C. Martin, Herbert S. Zim , et al.  (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

• Trees of North America, National Audubon Society

• Identifiying Trees, Stackpole Brooks

• Field Guide to Trees of North America, National Geographic

• The Easy Tree Guide, A Falcon Guide

• Trees, Golden Book

• Deck of Trees, Boy Scouts of America

• An Instant Guide to Trees, Gramercy

Insects

• Insects, Clarence Cottam and Herbert S. Zim  (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

• Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, Kenn Kaufman

• Spiders and Their Kin; Herbert W. Levi, Lorna R. Levi, et al.  (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

• Gardeing Insects of North America, Cranshaw & Sheltar

• Tracks & Sign of Insects  (and Other Inverttebrates), Eisman and Charney

• Pollinators of Native Plants, Heather Holm

• Caterpillars of Eastern North America, Wagner

• An Instant Guide to Insects, Gramercy

• Discover Life

• Bug Guide

• Insect Identification

Beetles

• Beetles of Eastern North America, Evans

Bees

• Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide, Holm

• Bumble Bees of North America, Williams, et al

• Global Bee Interactions

Butterflies

• Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America, Kenn Kaufman

• Butterflies and Moths of North America

Flies

• Field Guide to the Flower Flies of Northeastern North America, Skevington and Locke

Moths

• Peterson Field Guide To Moths Of Northeastern North America;  David Beadle  (Author), Seabrooke Lecki  (Peterson Field Guides)

• Peterson Field Guide To Moths Of Southeastern North America;  David Beadle  (Author), Seabrooke Lecki  (Peterson Field Guides)

  • Butterflies and Moths of North America

Fauna

• MarylandWildlife Species - Maryland DNR

Birds

• Birds of North America, Herbert S. Zim, Ira N. Gabrielson  (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

• Field Guide to North American Birds (Eastern Region), National Audobon Society

• Maryland Birds - Maryland DNR

• Audobon Land Bird Guide, Richard Pough

• Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America, Kenn Kaufman

• Peterson Field Guide To Birds Of Eastern & Central North America, Roger Tory Peterson (Peterson Field Guides)

• Birds of North America, National Audubon Society

• Birds of the Mid-Atlantic, Smithsonian Handbook

• Birds of Prey of the World, Golden Books

• North American Birds, Milne & Milne

• Deck of Birds, Boy Scouts of America

• An Instant Guide to Birds, Gramercy

Reptiles and Amphibians

• Reptiles and Amphibians, Hobart M. Smith (Author), Herbert S. Zim (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

• Field Guide to North American  Reptiles and Amphibians, Bebler and King, National Audobon Society

• Frogs & Toads, A Golden Guide

• Virginia Herpetological Society

• PA Herps

Fish

• Fishes; Hurst H. Shoemaker, Herbert S. Zim, et al.  (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

• Freshwater Fishes of Virginia, Jenkins, Robert E.

• Maryland Fish Facts, Maryland DNR

• Animal Diversity Web

Mammals

• Field Guide to North American Mammals, National Audubon Society

• Mammals;  Donald F. Hoffmeister, Herbert S. Zim , et al.  (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)Whales: The Gentle Giants, Milton & Langford

• Gray Whales, Gordon Baldridge

• Sperm Whales, Jonathan Gordon

Tracks & Signs

• Mammal Tracks & Sign, Elbroch

• The SAS Guide to Tracking, Bob Carss

• Tom Brown's Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking, Brown

Geology

• Rocks, Minerals and Gems; Paul R. Shaffer, Herbert S. Zim , et al. (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

• Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, National Audubon Society

• Gems and Minerals, Golden Guide

• Roadside Geology of Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.; Matthew Moran, John Means, Suzannah Moran

• Maryland’s Geology, Martin F. Schmidt

• Roadside Geology of Colorado, Willams & Chronic

• Roadside History of New Mexico, Fugate

• Geology Undergood in Yosemite National Park, Glazner & Stock

• HIking the Grand Canyon's Geology, Mountaineering Press

Astronomy

• Stars; Robert H. Baker, Herbert S. Zim , et al.  (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

• Field Guide to the Night Sky, National Audubon Society

• Galexy, James Geach

• Night Sky - Wild Guide, Smithsonian Institution

• The Practical Astronomer, Brian Jones

• Deck of Stars, Boy Scouts of America

Weather

• Weather; Herbert S. Zim Paul E Lehr, R. Will Burnett and Harry Mcnaught  (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

Ecology & Conservation

• Our Natural History:  The Lessons of Lewis & Clark, Daniel Botkin

• Swampwalker’s Journal:  A Wetlands Year, David M. Carroll

• Silent Spring, Rachel Carson

• Seeing Flowers, Teri Dunn Chace

• What a Plant Knows:  A Field Guide to the Senses, David Chamovitz

• City of Trees:  The Complete Field Guide to the Trees of Washington, D.C., Third Edition, Melanie Choukas Bradley

• An Illustrated Guide to Woodland Wildflowers and Trees:  350 Plants Observed at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland, Melanie Choukas-Bradley

• Sugarloaf:  The Mountain's History, Geology and Natural Lore, Melanie Choukas Bradley

• The Forest Unseen:  A Year’s Watch in Nature, David George Haskell

• The Homing Instinct:  Meaning & Mystery in Animal Migration, Bernd Heinrich

• Summer World, Bernd Heinrich

• Winter World, Bernd Heinrich

• An Island Out of Time:  A Memoir of Smith Island in the Chesapeake, Tom Horton

• Chesapeake: Bay of Light: An Exploration of the Chesapeake Bay's Wild and Forgotten Places, Tom Horton

• Turning the Tide:  Saving the Chesapeake Bay, Tom Horton

• Water's Way:  Life Along the Chesapeake, Tom Horton

• Seeing Trees, Nancy Ross Hugo

• The Woods in Your Backyard:  Natural Areas Around Your Home, Jonathan Kays, et. al.

• A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold

• Last Child in the Woods:  Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv

• The Nature Principle:  Reconnecting with Life in a Digital Age, Richard Louv

• A Year Across Maryland, Brian MacKay

• Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work, Curt Meine

• Life in the Soil:  A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners, James Nardi

• Noah’s Garden:  Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards, Sara Stein

• Planting Noah’s Garden, Sara Stein

• Where the Wild Things Were, William Stolzenburg

• Bringing Nature Home, Douglas W. Tallamy

• Nature's Best Hope, Douglas W. Tallamy

• Interpreting Our Heritage, Freeman Tilden

• The Chesapeake Watershed: A Sense of Place, Ned Tillman

• Saving the Places We Love, Ned Tillman

• Leaning Sycamores, Jack Wennerstrom

• Soldiers Delight Journal:  Exploring a Globally Rare Ecosystem, Jack Wennerstrom

Citizen Science Programs

• Maryland Biodiversity Project

• iNaturalist