THE FLOWER FINDER

About the Book

This book features where and when you can find 300 different species of wildflowers, flowering shrubs and small trees along the 14 most popular trails in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. It provides not only descriptions of the flowers but why it populates that specific ecological niche, how it differs from related species, the month(s) it can be found, and its relationships to its genus and family. Along with the written descriptions, color illustrations accompany the text adjacent to its description. These are rendered in sufficient detail for easy identification. The location of each wildflower will be specified by distance from the trailhead, distance from before and after prominent landmarks, and elevation. These descriptions and the accompanying illustrations will allow you to locate and identify almost all the wildflowers in the Gorge. In addition, sidebars accompany the text in all chapters explaining botanical information in general but non-technical language, thus providing additional information about not only the science of these ecosystems but also the reasons why any particular flower or its family dwells in that particular location.

About the Author

The author is a physician who has climbed for over 60 years in all the major mountain ranges across the world, including a number of first ascents. He has specialized, however, in exploring the peaks and trails of the North Cascades, including its National Park and the hiking trails of the Columbia Gorge, both in Oregon and Washington States. Along the way, he has taken courses in Botany and read, and re-read, literally all the wildflower identification and botany literature available to date. He has also led wildflower identification hikes and backpacks over that extended period of time. Although the majority of his publications, including five textbooks and over 65 journal articles, have been in the realm of medical science, he is also the author of the book, Hidden Gems of Washington’s Cascades: Brief Essays on Climbs, Scrambles and Traverses in Our Most Overlooked Alpine Area and National Park. This publication, which also contains wildflower illustrations, is currently in production and will be available by the summer or fall of 2023.