I'm bad at trees. I had a photo buddy who could whip off names of whatever we passed in the woods from slippery elm to striped maple. Oh sure striped maple is easy, but I was pretty lost. She corrected my ID to a spruce from the hemlock I mistakenly labeled it as. Alas, we are no longer in touch and so I need help. This book is pretty great. With a little investigation I now know my new yard contains hornbeam, basswood and green ash. Trees and shrubs are grouped together by type and organized by leaf shape so it's fairly easy to find the general section you want. Leaves are drawn simply and have notes on size, toothed or smooth, lobes, how they attach to the twig and how the twig attaches to the branch. Also fruit, cones and seeds are shown. On the page opposite the drawings are scientific and common names and quick notes about ranges and habitats. More complete species information is included in a different section.

In spite of all its details, it wasn't helpful for recognizing trees.

This book was owned by my mother--who was the nature lover and birder in the family. She found more to watch then you might expect living in New York City. We lived near Central Park, which is something of a bird sanctuary. Though I'm by no means the naturist she was, I do appreciate the way this book made me more aware of my surroundings. If I turn my head slightly the view from the window shows lots of trees. Just the front section in this book on tress silhouettes means I can identify them as ashes, maples and a "common catalpa" (Indian Bean Tree). 646 species are described and illustrated. The way species are divided into five major groups is very helpful in field identification. So definitely recommended for anyone in the Northeast United States this guide covers. ( )

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