Michael John Haddock

How do you know when you're face to face with a fringe-leaf ruellia? Is that particular flower button gayfeather or dotted gayfeather? And what about the pod clinging to your pants? Could it have come from a bird-foot trefoil? For anyone venturing out into the wilds of Kansas and the region, identifying plants just got a whole lot easier. Michael Haddock has updated and expanded his guide to more than 400 wildflowers, grasses, sedges, and rushes. This guide documents many of the state’s most common and conspicuous species—as well as some seldom encountered or listed in field guides—and includes many that are found throughout the Great Plains. This revised and expanded edition of Wildflowers and Grasses of Kansas supersedes earlier guides not only in the number of species it includes—plus its coverage of grasses—but also in its spectacular, true-to-life color photos. The first edition of Wildflowers and Grasses of Kansas: A Field Guide (2005) quickly became a highly popular resource for people interested in the flora of Kansas. In the nearly twenty years since the original publication, there have been advances in our understanding of the evolutionary relationships of vascular plants. Studies of DNA, macro- and micromorphology, cytology, phenology, ecology, and biogeography have affected the circumscriptions and names of some of the families, genera, and species recognized in the first edition. Consequently, an important component of this revision is the update to nomenclature and the circumscription of taxa along lines that are more consistent with current knowledge. Perfect for backpack or glove compartment, Wildflowers and Grasses of Kansas offers a wealth of quick-access information and finding aids graced with color that leaps off the page, making plant identification a joy rather than a chore. It’s a book guaranteed to send even chronic homebodies out into the great outdoors in search of these elusive blooms.

With its high plains, rolling hills, and river valleys, Kansas is home to a surprisingly diverse flora, and among these riches are the 166 species of trees, shrubs, and woody vines identified, described, and pictured in this handy guide. Expanding and updating H. A. Stephens's 1969 classic, this handbook offers full descriptions of woody plant species found in the wild in Kansas, 138 of them native. County-level distribution maps show where species have been documented, and nearly 1,000 color photographs highlight morphological features—habit, bark, leaves, flowers, and fruit. Updated scientific nomenclature reflects our current understanding of the taxonomy of woody species, as well as the most recent findings in studies of DNA, macro- and micromorphology, cytology, ecology, and phenology. With keys for identification, additional notes about nearly 100 other native and nonnative woody plants found in the state, and a comprehensive glossary defining all technical botanical terms, this user-friendly handbook should be the go-to guide for plant enthusiasts and professionals alike.

In the 35 years since the publication of Janét E. Bare’s popular Wildflowers and Weeds of Kansas, our understanding of flowering plants has undergone dramatic changes. This transformation is reflected in the pages of Kansas Wildflowers and Weeds. A reference and a guidebook for a new generation of plant enthusiasts, this volume includes up-to-date nomenclature, keys, and descriptions, as well as habitat, distribution, and ecological information. In addition to herbaceous plants, the book profiles several woody species generally perceived to be either “showy wildflowers” or “weedy”-species such as Amorpha fruticosa (false indigo bush), Campsis radicans (trumpet vine), Ceanothus herbaceous (Jersey tea), Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonbush), Rhus glabra (smooth sumac), Rosa Arkansana (prairie rose), and Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy). Designed for the professional botanist and passionate amateur alike, Kansas Wildflowers and Weeds brings names and taxonomic information into line with recent revolutions in studies of DNA, macro- and micromorphology, cytology, ecology, and phenology. It expands upon Bare’s earlier book’s 831 entries with descriptions of 1,163 species-representing about 5 percent of the native and naturalized species currently known in Kansas—as well as 742 color photographs. For purposes of identification, conservation, study, or the simple pleasure of thumbing through, it is a resource without parallel.

Michael Haddock has assembled a guide to 264 wildflowers along with 59 grasses, sedges, and rushes. These comprise many of Kansas' most common and conspicuous species - as well as some seldom encountered or listed in field guides - and include many that are found throughout the Great Plains.