May 3, 2022

15 FIELD GUIDES FOR FLORIDA FANS

This is one of my favorite natural history series. The vibrant, detailed illustrations really bring the flora and fauna of the Sunshine state to life - and the series includes oft-overlooked topics like spiders, butterflies, reptiles and amphibians. 

Florida's Fabulous Spiders. I'm no fan of arachnids, so it's extra impressive that the Spiders volume of this series is still appealing and even beautiful to my eyes. I'm definitely not interested in a wild encounter with any of these creatures, so it's nice to have beautiful portraits between the pages. 

Florida's Fabulous Mammals. This is the field guide you want if you're looking for manatees or dolphins; but did you know that Florida is also quite well populated with bison and wild hogs? 

Florida's Fabulous Seashells. Shells are a unique category when it comes to natural history - not quite animal, not quite mineral... but very very popular with visitors to the seashore!

Florida's Fabulous Butterflies. The climate in Florida is ideal for butterfly gardens, and it's handy to have a guide to these amazing creatures. If you need a backup title, try Butterflies of Florida. 

Florida's Fabulous Trees. Plant life in this part of the continent is vastly different from what visitors are used to at home - including the trees. If you'd like a guide for just the flowers, try Florida Wildflowers from Falcon Guides. 

Florida's Fabulous Waterbirds. They've divided birds up into two volumes (land vs water) which was probably a good idea considering how MANY birds there are in Florida.  If you'd prefer an all-in-one book, try Birding Florida from Falcon Guides. 

Florida's Fabulous Natural Places. It's great to have a field guide telling you what the critters are - but how do you get to the places where you can see them? Luckily the Fabulous series includes several volumes dedicated to outdoor locales. If you need an alternate, try Florida State Parks or even Camping Florida.

Florida's Fabulous Canoe and Kayak Trail Guide. For the really adventurous, you can take it a step further and explore by canoe or kayak. 

Florida's Fabulous Insects. There are a lot. a LOT. of insects. in Florida. If this one guide is temporarily hard to find, there is some good info in the Florida Audubon Guide as well. 

Florida's Fabulous Flowers. The weather that makes things so perfect for butterflies and insects also creates a hospitable environment for floral prosperity; Florida has more than just orchids!

Florida's Fabulous Fishes. A field guide for the casual observer (who maybe doesn't have much experience with fishing), this volume is once again packed full of gorgeous full color photographs. If this one is on backorder, try Saltwater Sport Fish of the Gulf or the pocket-sized Florida Freshwater Fishes folding guide. 

Florida's Fabulous Lighthouses. Returning to the "travel guide" concept for a third time, this volume explores the (huge number of) lighthouses sprinkled up and down the Florida coastline. If this one is out of stock, check out Florida Lighthouses from Arcadia publishing. 

Florida's Fabulous Land Birds. The follow up to "Water Birds," another book with incredible photography and useful details about the birds that live here. 

Florida's Fabulous Trail Guide. The fourth and last travel guide volume, this book focuses on hiking and biking trails throughout Florida. For an alternate, try Rail-Trails Florida. 

Florida's Fabulous Reptiles and Amphibians. It can be really hard to find field guides for snakes, so I love that the Fabulous series dedicated an entire volume to reptiles and amphibians. Sometimes this volume is hard to find - if you need a backup, try Florida's Snakes and Florida's Frogs by Richard Bartlett. 

The books in this series are intermittently available (sometimes they go on backorder for a bit) but I try to carry them all, all the time. I've also suggested backups above for the titles that are more challenging to come by. 

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