We've all have this experience on a road trip: you see some nice blooming flowers on the side of the highway, and you wonder what kind of flowers they are. But you don't have the time, or the authority, to pull over and get a leisurely look. You might have a field guide with you, but the plants in it do not look like what you see out the window. Chris Helzer of The Prairie Ecologist understands that experience, and has therefore written a book to remedy the situation. His new ebook, A Field Guide to Roadside Wildflowers at Full Speed is available for free.
The wildflowers in the book are arranged by both color and blooming date (within color classes), just as you’ll see in other field guides. However, in this guide, the flowers appear as they actually look when you see them from the road. This much more realistic portrayal of wildflowers will prevent the frustration that comes from staring bleakly at field guide photos that bear little resemblance to what you see out your car window.
Read about the book at The Prairie Ecologist, and read the full book here.
-via Metafilter