• Paperback book

• 229 pages

• Lots of color pictures.

The book includes the life that is COMMON to Florida, but if you have a desire to identify less common animals and plants, it's probably better to stick with the specialised field guides. Audubon usually does a better job than this, and make a few other books that are well put together and more inclusive than this one.

14 of 14 found the following review helpful:


Mile wide and inch deep  Jul 28, 2005 By James A. Dees "Darkling Thrush"
This is the BEST nature guide I have found for Florida, but unfortunately that is not saying much. I have been spoiled by the wealth of naturalist and natural history books available for all different parts of the west, books which not only tell you how to ID a species, but which also give you enough information to feel like you know it afterwards.

I take young people on wilderness trips for a living, and enjoy sharing with them my love of nature. I especially enjoy introducing them to members of the natural community, neighbors they have had all their lives but probably have never taken time to become aquainted with. I grew up in the southeast, before heading west in search of adventure. Now I am back, working with at-risk and adjudicated youth, taking them on canoe paddles in old cypress swamps and along inter-coastal waterways. I normally find a variety of great books to take on trips for my kids to consult when they spot something new. But here in my old stomping grounds, this is the best I could come up with.

The National Audubon guides are great for covering a wide range of information, from weather to constellations to identifying plants and animals. But they won't tell you much of anything about those plants and animals. I know there are naturalists and writers in the south who can do better. Would love to find them (in print) someday soon.

20 of 22 found the following review helpful:


Great book about stuff you will find in Florida!  Oct 26, 1999
This book is helpful because it contains descriptions of plants and animals, all of which you can find somewhere in Florida. This makes it easier to find out what you are looking at. It would be nice if it were divided by characteristics, at least more than how it is. I still like it a lot. Points out subtle differences among very similar plants and animals.

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:


Good general book  Jul 24, 2005 By Jennifer P
Provides good overview of flora/fauna of Florida. Includes snakes, fish, insects, birds, trees, flowers, and bushes (as well as others, I'm sure). If you want a comprehensive guide to a particular type of plant or animal, you are better off getting a specific book (ie. if you want to know about ALL birds in Florida, get a bird book for the region). Very good for a general guide, good car or bag reference. Used this book in a Flora & Fauna of Florida college class (required book).

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:


Excellent Book  Aug 23, 2004 By Woofboy "Woofboy"
I must admit that I would never buy a book like this on my own. Most of the time I find books like this to be a waste of money. I recieved this book as a gift, and I was awed at what a great reference book this was. I have been living in Florida for 14 years, and have seen plenty of wildlife. Now thanks to this book, I could tell you what the wildlife that I see is. The book has great color picture of all kinds of plants and animals, star charts, information on weather, Florida's environmental history, and a section on State and National parks. The state and national park section of the book was my only complaint though. It left out many of the parks that I find to be better than some of the ones that were listed. But other than that, the book is almost perfect!

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