Book on Trees, Shrubs, and Vines of Arkansas

[Eric Esche]

Are you one of those folks like me that see pretty flowers and plants out in the wild and never know what they are, and whose spouse gets tired of trying to interpret your totally lacking descriptions and explanations of why you didn't get a decent photo of it with that waterproof camera she bought you?

Well, Susan bought me a book that should help some, along with a pair of waterproof binoculars. 30th anniversary. Haven't tried out the binoculars yet, but I have gone through the book twice. It's good.

It is "Trees, Shrubs, & Vines of Arkansas" by Carl G. Hunter published by the Ozark Society Foundation in Little Rock AR (3rd Edition) with sponsors:
Non game Preservation Fund
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Ross Foundation
Anthony Forest Products Company
Arkansas Forestry Association
and Carl G. Hunter

She may not have been impressed by the sponsors, but it has a picture of a red buckeye on the cover, and she loves those, even if she has problems growing them up here, and this guarentees we will do more Buffalo trips next April and May when there are thousands of them blooming above HW 14 bridge. ( see page 130 in the book for their words)

Anyway, it has good pictures that a dummy like me can identify things with, even if you ignore the zoning and identification clue sections, and the writeups are all in plain English giving sizes and blooming periods. And it has the scientific names for those of you who remember such things.

You can get it from:
The Ozark Society Foundation
P.O. Box 3503
Little Rock AR 72203

Or track Susan down and ask her where she bought the copy for me. If I had to guess where she got it, I would guess Packrat, Lewis and Clark, Borders, Barnes and Noble, or Westwood Gardens as the likely places in NW Arkansas.

I like it enough that it will probably start traveling with me in the water proof dry bucket, along with Ken Smith's Buffalo River Handbook. Catch me at a gravel bar, and I will let you look at it, and maybe check out my new binoculars.

Can already tell I will like them as they are physically smaller (Bushnell 8x42) than my 1980's armored 7x50 Bushnell's and my 1950's 16x50 Tasco's. Susan has heard my excuses about how and why I didn't get the binoculars out of the dry bag or bucket in time enough that there is now one less excuse for me not to hand them to her when she wants to look at something.

Eric Esche

[Crane]

Hunter also has a book on Arkansas Wildflowers, which also sets the standard. Several years ago, the Central Chapter had him for a program... interesting guy! Crane

[Eric Esche]

Thanks Crane. I just ordered it and the 2006 edition of "Autumn Leaves and Winter Berries from Alibris.com. I'll never make it as a botanist, but I do like to know what I am looking at and what I like.

I know, I know, I already carry too much junk in the canoe and on camping trips.

Eric

Also sounds like someone I need to get as a speaker for the Garden Club of Rogers. Wonder if he likes canoeing or sea kayaking......

[Crane]

He used to like speaking:)

[Wildwood]

The welcome centers near state lines sometimes have Carl G. Hunter books. I got the Wildflower book at Mammoth Spring State Park gift shop when I was up there for Rec School. (Hastings in Conway had told me it was out of print.) I thought I read somewhere where Mr. Hunter had died, but can't find any references to it on the Internet today.

Great books!
Jan