Download PDF Seeing Trees Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Everyday Trees Seeing Series Nancy R Hugo Robert Llewellyn Books

Product details Series Seeing Series Hardcover 245 pages Publisher Timber Press (August 16, 2011) Language English ISBN-10 1604692197

Seeing Trees Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Everyday Trees Seeing Series Nancy R Hugo Robert Llewellyn Books Reviews

• Whether you live in a big city or in a more rural setting, trees are all around you. They may be in city parks, school playgrounds, government buildings or urban green-belts. In some locations, away from the cities, trees make up dense forest that can stretch for hundreds of miles, line natural waterways or lakes, stand as lone sentinels in rocky and eroded landscapes. If your like me, you appreciate trees but have only the most basic ability to tell them apart. Sure, most of us know the difference between a pine tree and, say, an oak tree. But usually that's as far as it goes. In Seeing Trees author Nancy Ross Hugo addresses that issue with an in depth look at the biology and anatomy of trees, all kinds of trees. Drawing parallels with bird watching, Hugo shows us how get started in a "tree watching" hobby. Like all complex life forms trees are made up of multiple body parts. Leaves, branches and trunk-bark are the first things we notice. But those are just the surface parts, what we need is a closer look. To that end, Hugo gives the reader a guided tour of tree anatomy. The book opens with a section on "tree viewing" when and where to look, getting a good field guide and techniques to use for the best results. Up next a closer look at various tree parts like; leaves, flowers, fruit and bark. Flower and leaf buds are studied as are twigs, seeds and pollen. The last section puts the spotlight on 9 of our native North American trees and 1 exotic. Get to know Black Walnut, Red Maple, White Oak and American Beech among others. Two tree species deserve extra attention, the Ginkgo and the Osage Orange. The Ginkgo is an exotic species that was introduced to North America from China some 200 years ago and has established itself in any well watered, drained environment.
  Considered by many to be a "living fossil", the Ginkgo has been around for over 250 million years but today is represented by only one species living in China. The Osage Orange is another ancient species, this one native to North America. It's over sized fruit required over sized herbivores to spread its seeds. Ice Age mega fauna like Mammoths, Mastodons, Ground Sloth and Camels may have feasted on its juicy, bitter, fruit. Hugo's writing is conversational, like setting down with a friendly Botanist over afternoon tea. Anyone interested in nature writing in general or trees in particular should find Seeing Trees to be an enjoyable read. Hugo's approach is, for the most part, non-technical but some of the descriptive parts can be a little daunting. Yet, even when she's getting technical the text is easy to follow and I came away with a better understanding of trees and a real desire to try "tree watching" as a recreational hobby. Now, if I can just find a good field guide and a group of interested nature lovers, who knows where this will lead me. Along with Hugo's interesting text are Robert Liewellyn's beautiful photo's that decorate the narrative with many incredible images, ranging from full trees to micro's of buds, flower and other tree parts. The use of the white background is effective on some shots but on others it was distracting and even a little annoying ( ie pale yellow-green or white flowers against a white background is not the best way to highlight your subject. In some frames a dark or black, or even a natural background, would have been preferable). That being said, this is still a wonderful nature book and one that I will be referring back to, now and then. I had no technical or formatting problems with this edition.
  
  LastRanger
• I am an artist and was looking for close up photography of ginkgo leaves, wanting to draw them realistically.Well, I got accurate ginkgo leaves and more.The photography is just delightful, incredible closeups of a variety of common trees.The beauty of leaves, seeds, bark, etc is artistically inspiring on many levels, across many disciplines. And I thought that i was not interested in info about the trees but the text is informative, presented so even i could understand it, and chatty enough not to bore. I am reading through all of it surprisingly. Well worth the money, this book. Oh, my complaint is that there are not enough trees represented- I want MORE! Great job, Nancy R. Hugo ! Thank you!
• I loved this book! Not only did I learn a lot about the nuances of trees, but I loved the writing. Nancy Hugo's love for trees was woven throughout her prose and her own spirit seemed embedded in her words. She is someone I would like to know. At any rate, even though the trees chosen were from the east and I live in the Pacific Northwest, I could apply the knowledge and am now so much more attuned to the trees here. I also have a transplanted Magnolia that for some reason thrives among conifers and Hugo's chapter on this beloved tree was very enlightening.
• this wise, beautiful book presents, in intimate photos and insightful prose, ten species of trees native to Virginia and neighboring states American beech, American sycamore, black walnut, Eastern red cedar, gingko, red maple, Southern magnolia, tulip poplar, white oak, white pine. the author and photographer invite us to see, as we have never seen in such detail before, these trees as they reach downward upward inward outward over time -- days, seasons, years....
  do not mistake this for a coffee-table book; this is a wise wonder.
• This is an absolutely fabulous book. It is too much like a school text book for me, but she does make it interesting. I thought that I knew a lot about trees, but I found my knowledge lacking. If you have an interest in trees, then you should get this book.
• This is a beautiful, heart opening book. I treasured reading it. I actually limited myself to one chapter a night to extend my reading experience over a longer time. I've never done that before. The photographs are gorgeous, and Nancy Hugo's love-filled descriptions about the extraordinary qualities of trees are powerfully engaging. I originally purchased this book off a store end cap as a gift for my mother. The day I started reading it, I treasured it so much, I bought another copy for my mother. I wasn't willing to give my book away.
• Simply stated, this book is fantastic. I love trees, can identify most, cultivate many, paint and draw them, collect their berries and nuts... but this book showed me so much that I was missing. I was reading the book in the hammock under the maples and only put it down to go over to inspect the 'bud scars' and 'bundle scar' patterns on my black walnut. As a nature lover I thought I 'was' seeing the trees, but this book has opened my eyes to so much more. Peaceful and wonderful.
• Amazing book with fabulous photos and thoughtful text, accessible to the layman. This book will make you or your child want to get outside, observe, and marvel at the beauty of Nature. The glory of the little things we so easily miss is clearly displayed in the fantastic close-up photos.