Resource Building - Approved Candidate Book List

Public
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I live in Salem, MA which is technically in the Boston Basin ecoregion/subset of the Northeast Coastal Zone ecoregion, and these are some of the books that have been approved for me (I still haven’t chosen my last couple and will update when I do):

Geology of the Boston Basin, vol 1 by William Otis Crosby
The Physical Geography, Geology, Minerology, and Paleontology of Essex County, Massachusetts by John Henry Sears
Our Trees: A Popular Account of the Trees in the Streets and Gardens of Salem, and of the Native Trees of Essex County, Massachusetts by John Robinson
The Natural History of Eastern Massachusetts by Stan Freeman
Written in Stone by Chet Raymo and Maureen E. Raymo
Life Between the Tides: Marine Plants and Animals of the Northeast by Les Watling et al
Backyard Birdwatching in Boston (booklet)
Foraging New England by T.O.M. Seymour

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63

Here’s the list that was approved for me. I live in Chicago, Il.

  1. Of Prairie, Woods, & Water: Two Centuries of Chicago Nature Writing. Edited by Joel Greenberg. 2008.
  2. Wild Chicago: Animals, Reptiles, Insects, and Plants to Watch Out for at Home, at the Park, and in the Woods by F. Lynne Bachleda, 2013.
  3. Prairie: A Natural Historyby Candace Savage, 2004.
  4. The Natural Heritage of Illinois by John E Schwegman, 2016
  5. Trees of Illinois; Linda Kershaw, 2007
  6. A Natural History of the Chicago Region by Joel Greenberg, 2004.
  7. A Birder’s Guide to the Chicago Region by Lynne Carpenter, 1999.
  8. Seasonal Guide to the Natural Year: A Month by Month Guide to Natural Events. Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas by Barbara Lawton Perry, 1994.
  9. Butterflies of Illinois: A Field Guide by Michael R. Jeffords, 2019
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64

I am in Beautiful Michigan and here are the books that are approved for me.

  1. Butterflies of Michigan Field Guide.
  2. A Field Guide to the Natural Communities of Michigan. Dennis Albert, Michael Cost, Joshua Cohen.
  3. Wildflowers of Michigan. Stan Tekiela.
  4. Michigan Trees - A Guide to the Trees of the Great Lakes Region. Burton Barnes, Warren Wagoner Jr.
  5. Michigan Rocks and Minerals. - A Field Guide to The Great Lakes State. Dan and Bob Lynch.
  6. The Living Great Lakes - Searching For The Heart of The Inland Seas. Jerry Dennis.
  7. Gleasons Plants of Michigan - A Field Guide. Richard Rabeler.
  8. Mushrooms Of The Upper Midwest. Teresa Marrone. Kathy Yerich.
  9. Michigan - Our Land, Our Water, Our Heritage. John Knott
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Also from Michigan, a little crossover :slight_smile:
Along the Huron: The Natural Communities of the Huron River Corridor in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 1999. University of Michigan Press.
The Birds of Washtenaw County, Michigan. 1992. Michael Kielb, John M. Swales, Richard Wolinski
The Mammals of Washtenaw County, Michigan. 1922. Norman Asa Wood.
Michigan Natural Features Inventory https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/
Great Lakes Rocks: 4 Billion Years of Geologic History in the Great Lakes Region. 2019. Stephen E Kesler
The Backyard Birdsong Guide: Eastern and Central North America. 2016. Donald Kroodsma
The Book of Forest and Thicket: Trees, Shrubs, and Wildflowers of Eastern North America. 1992. John Eastman, Amelia Hansen
Birds of Forest, Yard & Thicket. 1997. John Eastman, Amelia Hansen.
Northern White Cedar: The Tree of Life. 2022. Gerald L. Storm, Laura S. Kenefic
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region, Revised Edition. 2017. James H. Harding, David A. Mifsud

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66

Hello.
I live in North Texas (Johnson County) just outside Fort Worth, in the South Central Semi-arid prairies. Eco codes (9.4.5) Cross Timbers and (9.4.7) Texas Blackland Prairies.

My book list was recently approved (12/2022):

  1. The Birds of North Central Texas, by Warren M. Pulich
  2. Trees of North Texas, by Robert A Vines, ISBN 9780292780194
  3. Texas Natural History in the 21st Century (Grover E. Murray Studies in the American Southwest)
  4. The Nature of Texas: An Introduction to Familiar Plants, Animals and Outstanding Natural Attractions (Field Guides)
  5. General Background on the Blackland Prairie for Teachers by Austin College - Center for Environmental Studies - Sherman, Texas (borrowed from FaeryGiggles approved list)
  6. Texas Weather -UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PRESS by George W Bomar
  7. Dangerous Plants, Snakes, Arthropods & Marine Life of Texas – US Dept Health Education and Welfare
  8. Roadside Geology of Texas, by Darwin Spearing
  9. Exploring the Brazos River: From Beginning to End (River Books, Sponsored by The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, Texas State University) by Jim Kimmel, PhD

I have not read any of the books yet, but I did conduct as much “internet” research as possible to make sure these would meet the intent of our curriculum. I will try and update or comment on the books as I read through them.

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67

Great idea! I live in far southwest Virginia and the following books were approved for me. Bonus was I found all of these at my local public library!

Birds of the Blue Ridge Mountains : a guide for the Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah National Park, and neighboring areas by Simpson, Marcus B.

Wildflowers of the Appalachian Trail by Adkins, Leonard M.

A guide to endangered and threatened species in Virginia by Terwilliger, Karen.

A field guide to the trees and shrubs of the southern Appalachians by Swanson, Robert E.

Mammals of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland by Webster, William David.

The book of forest and thicket : trees, shrubs, and wildflowers of eastern North America by Eastman, John (John Andrew).

The book of field and roadside : open-country weeds, trees, and wildflowers of eastern North America by Eastman, John (John Andrew).

Appalachian mushrooms : a field guide by Sturgeon, Walt.

Remarkable trees of Virginia by Hugo, Nancy R.

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68

YES! This is exactly the list I need! Hopefully some of these books will be available in English as I’ve only just started learning Dutch in DuoLingo!

We are moving there this summer and I am so excited to meet the land and get to know the people (human and other) that inhabit this country!

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69

Thank you for the list! I will be spending a year in the Netherlands soon and was wondering if I should pick up books, but my Dutch wasn’t good enough to do searches on my own!

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70

My house in the Philly suburbs, but I work in the city and I spend much of my summer on the DE/NJ coast or hiking in the Pocono mountains (very common for this region). So, my list contains field guides encompassing the MidAtlantic region. I also proposed 10 books to account for the fact that 2 of these are general.

  1. Peterson’s Field Guide to Eastern Forests (North America)

  2. Audubon Field Guide to the Mid-Atlantic States

Both of these books include overviews of the natural history of the region, including, e.g., geology, night sky, conservation, major rivers, and ecology. More than “just” field guides.

  1. Birds of Pennsylvania by Stan Tekiela - I really enjoy his overview of ornithology, birdwatching, and his classification system. This book is very accessible for new bird watchers.

  2. Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior - I’m using this book in conjunction with the above books because I want to understand how and why the birds I see behave how they do. (eg why do cardinals go to that specific tree? Why do I only see crows at 4 pm?). It’s a very scientific book. However, I’m used to reading academic papers all day so I wanted something heavier.

  3. Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists by James Nardi - A broad book, but it is difficult to get a region-specific insect guide. I wanted to know the little guys I come across while gardening.

  4. Exploring Philly Nature by Bernard S Brown - I absolutely adore this book. Each chapter gives a different easy activity that you can do alone or with your family to reconnect with nature in and around Philadelphia. A gem.

  5. Wild Philly by Mike Weilbacher - Part natural history text, part field guide, part day trip planner in Philly, this book describes all the fascinating nature and wild life you can find in the concrete jungle of Philadelphia.

  6. Marsh, Meadow, Mountain: Natural Places of the Delaware Valley by John Hardin- I stole this one from @AcadiaDawn! It looks amazing. It details natural places in the Delaware Valley to visit.

  7. Peterson’s Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America - I wanted a comprehensive field guide to wild plants and mushrooms, and this one includes poisonous as well as edible ones. The corresponding Mid-Atlantic book was very recipe focused, and had a lot less information overall. By contrast, this book is more comprehensive, and less expensive.

  8. Pennsylvania Pocket Field Guides to Wildlife, Birds, Trees, Wildflowers, Butterflies and Pollinators by Kavanaugh/Leung - I added these to complement the above books. I felt that I needed some pocket guides to round things out.

Some additional useful online materials I found:

  1. PA Natural Heritage Program - This website contains a wealth of information about the state of PA species, rivers, and their conservation status

  2. Local Naturalist Society - I found the website of some local naturalists who are extremely active in environmentalism and education. They had listed tons of local natural history books and online materials for learning more about the local ecosystem.

  3. Darby Creek Valley Association - I looked up my local river watershed and found this amazing website packed with info and reports. Not a book but useful for further learning and growth.

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So if i understand right, books about life in north sea, about nature like ‘het zwin’, and Guides are permitted?

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True, those are permitted. I’ll chat with you about the books in Dutch, I hope that’ll help clarify things a bit more!

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Hey all, I am by the border between South and Central Florida. Specifically in Southern Coastal Plain (8.5.3) Ecoregion, but close enough to the 15.4.1 Southern Florida Coastal Plain ecoregion. Here are my approved books:

  • [ ] Fire Ecology of Florida and the Southeastern Coastal Plain. REID F NOSS
  • [ ] WILDFLOWERS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN: A FIELD GUIDE. Ray Neyland
  • [ ] AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES OF FLORIDA. Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, and Paul E. Moler
  • [ ] PRICELESS FLORIDA: Natural Ecosystems and Native Species. Ellic Whitney. D. Bruce Means, and Anne Rudloc
  • [ ] Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida. VOLUME 1. MAMMALS. Edited by Stephen R. Humphrey
  • [ ] ILLUSTRATED PLANTS OF FLORIDA AND THE COASTAL PLAIN. DAVID W. HALL
  • [ ] FERNS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN: THEIR LORE, LEGENDS, and USES. by Lin Dunbar
  • [ ] THE WORLD OF THE Salt Marsh: APPRECIATING AND PROTECTING THE TIDAL MARSHES OF THE SOUTHEASTERN ATLANTIC COAST Charles Seabrook
  • [ ] FLORIDA’S LIVING BEACHES: A Guide for the Curious Beachcomber. Blair and Dawn WITHERINGTON
  • [ ] The Nature of Florida: An Introduction to Familiar Plants, Animals & Outstanding Natural Attractions (Field Guides)
  • [ ] PARADISE LOST? THE ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF FLORIDA. EDITED BY JACK E. DAVIS AND RAYMOND ARSENAULT Foreword by Raymond Arsenault and Gary Mormino, Series Editors

I hope it helps someone and if you are in the same region as me, I would love to hear from you!

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74

I live in the Bronx, the only part of New York City that’s not part of an island. In terms of ecoregion, I’m in the Northeastern Coastal Zone (8.1.7, part of the Eastern Temperate Forest - Mixed Wood Plains), and I live on the side that’s Long Island Sound Coastal Lowland (59g). Here is my final booklist:

  1. Field guide to the natural world of New York City – Leslie Day
  2. Heartbeats in the Muck (revised ed.) – John Waldman
  3. The Bronx River – an environmental and social history – Maarten De Kadt
  4. The Nature of Oaks – Douglas W Tallamy
  5. Reading the Forested Landscape: A Natural History of New England – Tom Wessels
  6. Salt Marshes: A Natural and Unnatural History – Judith S Weis & Carol A Butler
  7. Urban Lichens – Jessica L Allen & James C Lendemer
  8. A Beginner’s Guide yo Recognizing Trees of the Northeast – Mark Nikolas
  9. Book of Field and Roadside – John Eastman
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Here is my approved book list! I live in the Pacific Northwest Coast range, in a small town in the northwest corner of the Oregon.

Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska
By Paul B. Alaback

Cascadia Revealed: A Guide to the Plants, Animals, and Geology of the Pacific Northwest Mountains
By Daniel Mathews

Rocks, Minerals, and Geology of the Pacific Northwest (A Timber Press Field Guide)
By Leslie Moclock

Timber Press Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest
By Mark Turner and Phyllis Gustafson

Where We Call Home: Lands, Seas, and Skies of the Pacific Northwest
By Josephine Woolington

Mushrooms of the Northwest: A Simple Guide to Common Mushrooms
By Teresa Marrone

In Search of Ancient Oregon: A Geological and Natural History
By Ellen Morris Bishop

Living with Thunder: Exploring the Geologic Past, Present, and Future of Pacific Northwest Landscapes
By Ellen Morris Bishop

Ancient Landscapes of Western North America: A Geologic History with Paleogeographic Maps
By Ronald C. Blakey and Wayne D. Ranney

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76

I live in southeast Wyoming (9.4.1 High Plains Region) I had 6 books approved so far, they are

  • A Peterson Field Guide To Western Medicinal Plants And Herbs by Christopher Hobbs and Steven Foster
  • Ancient Landscapes of Western North America: A Geologic History with Paleogeographic Maps by Ronald C. Blakey , Wayne D. Ranney
  • Birds of Wyoming Field Guide: Includes Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks by Steven Tekiela
  • Ice, Fire, and Nutcrackers: A Rocky Mountain Ecology by George Constantz
  • Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States by Charles W. Kane
  • Rocky Mountain Natural History: Grand Teton to Jasper by Daniel Mathews
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Just got on discord and now I need to find AODA. I searched under AODA and Ancient Order of Druids in America and Druid. No luck.

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*I’m in the upper Willamette Valley, Oregon. Only five books approved so far because I want to leave room for discovering new ones (like I am doing on this thread!).

–Wild Berries of the Northwest* by Duane Sept. His version of NW includes a huge area of Canada and the US but most applies to my region and the photos are gorgeous!

– Trees to know in Oregon and Washington

– Shrubs to Know in Pacific Northwest Forests

– Birds of the Willamette Valley Region

– Natural Grace by William Dietrich. This was published in 2003 so you might have to search for it. Lots of scientific data (possibly now outdated) but he talks about these plants and animals as if telling stories about people he knows. Love his writing style.

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I think @lilwolf can help you get connected to the discord channel.

Also the berry book is one of my favorites.

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Yes, I love that book! I’m transitioning my yard to more natives (I started last March so long before I signed up with AODA) and used the book to talk to my garden coach about native edibles to plant. I also discovered that the berries on Hooker’s fairy bells are edible! It’s been growing in my yard for years so I tried it and, yes, they were sweet and tasty, but most of it is inedible seeds! LOL!

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Hello All!

I joined recently and used this page to help me build my book list. My list was approved yesterday, and I wanted to share to help build this resource. For point of reference, I live in Northern, New York on the Tug Hill Plateau (just east of Lake Ontario). Here is my approved list:

Marchand, P. (2010). Nature guide to the northern forest: Exploring the ecology of the forests of New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. Appalachian Mountain Club Books; Boston, MA.

Shupe S. (2018). New York wildlife encyclopedia: An illustrated guide to birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Skyhorse Publishing; Battleboro, VT.

Gateley, S. (2021). A natural history of Lake Ontario . The History Press; Charlston, SC.

Lynch, D. & Lunch, B. (n.d.) New York: Rocks and minerals: A field guide to the empire state. Adventure Publications; South Cambridge, MN

Early. C. (2012). Hawks & Owls of Eastern North America. Firefly Books; Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.

Slack, N. & Bell, S. (2007). Adirondack alpine summits: An ecological field guide . Adirondack Mountain Club; Albany, NY.

Storey, M. (2006). Why the Adirondacks look the way they do: A natural history . Storey: ISBN -10 0977717208

McNamara, R. (1999). Tug Hill: A four season guide to the natural side . North Country Books; Utica, NY.

Monmonier, M. (2012). Lake Effect: Tales of large lakes, artic winds, and recurrent snows. Syracuse University Press; Syracuse, NY.

I hope it helps someone :slight_smile:

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