Texas Natural History Guides – serie

On any warm summer day, you can easily observe damselflies around a vegetated pond or the rocks along the banks of a stream. Like the more familiar dragonfly, damselflies are among the most remarkably distinctive insects in their appearance and biology, and they have become one of the most popular creatures sought by avocational naturalists.Damselflies of Texas is the first field guide dedicated specifically to the species found in Texas. It covers 77 of the 138 species of damselflies known in North America, making it a very useful guide for the entire United States. Each species account includes:illustrations of as many forms (male, female, juvenile, mature, and color morphs) as possiblecommon and scientific names, with pronunciationdistribution mapkey featuresidentifying characteristicsdiscussion of similar speciesstatus in Texashabitat, seasonality, and general commentsIn addition to photographing damselflies in the wild, the author and illustrator have developed a new process for illustrating each species by scanning preserved specimens and digitally painting them. The resulting illustrations show detail that is not visible in photographs. The book also contains chapters on damselfly anatomy, life history, conservation, names, and photography, as well as a list of species that may eventually be discovered in Texas, state and global conservation rankings, seasonality of all species in chronological order, and additional resources and publications on the identification of damselflies.

Texas has about one hundred twenty native species and subspecies of snakes, fifteen of which are venomous. Since 1950, Texans have turned to the Poisonous Snakes of Texas pamphlet series published by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for help in identifying these snakes and for expert advice on preventing and treating snakebite. Venomous Snakes of Texas, a thoroughly revised and updated edition of Poisonous Snakes, carries on this tradition as a one-stop, all-you-need-to-know guide to Texas's rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths, and coral snakes.In this authoritative field guide, you'll find:Full-color photographs and a county-by-county distribution map for each species.Each species' common and scientific name, description, look-alikes, and a summary sketch of its habitat, behavior, reproduction, venom characteristics, predator-prey relationships, and fossil record.Up-to-date advice on recognizing venomous snakes and preventing and treating snakebite, both at home and in the field.A glossary of terms and an extensive bibliography.A special feature of this guide is an expanded treatment of the ecological and evolutionary context in which venomous snakes live, which supports Price's goal "to lessen the hatred and fear and to increase the understanding, the respect, and even the appreciation with which venomous snakes should be regarded."

Woody plants and cacti are vital staple foods for cattle, deer, and other wildlife in drought-prone South Texas. Ranchers, hunters, and land managers who need to identify these plants relied on A Field Guide to Common South Texas Shrubs (published by Texas Parks & Wildlife Press and distributed by UT Press), which is no longer in print. Responding to ongoing demand for the book, Richard B. Taylor has completely updated and expanded it with seven new species, new photographs, and a quick plant identification key.Common Woody Plants and Cacti of South Texas is an easy-to-use plant identification field guide to fifty species that comprise an estimated 90 percent of the region’s woody canopy cover north of the Rio Grande Valley. The species accounts include photographs, descriptions, values to livestock and wildlife, and nutritional information. The book also provides historical perspectives and information on brush management techniques and strategies, as well as habitat appraisal. All of these resources will enable readers to analyze stocking rates for deer and cattle, evaluate a prospective hunting lease, or buy property.

Texas has a large and diverse turtle population, with forms that are found nowhere else (Cagle’s Map Turtle and the Texas Map Turtle) and wide-ranging species that barely touch the state, including the Painted Turtles and the Rough-footed Mud Turtle. From the Sabine River to El Paso, and from the Rio Grande to the Panhandle, thirty-one native and established exotic turtle species are definitely known in Texas, along with one crocodilian, the American Alligator.Texas Turtles & Crocodilians is the first complete identification guide to all the state’s turtles and to its single alligator. It offers detailed species accounts, range maps, and excellent color photographs to aid in field identification. The authors, two of the state’s most knowledgeable herpetologists, open the book with a broad overview of turtle natural history, conservation biology, observation, and captive maintenance before providing a key to Texas turtles and accounts of the various turtle families and species. Appendices provide brief accounts of species that occurred prehistorically in Texas and non-established exotic species, as well as a table of Texas’ major watersheds and the turtle diversity in each one. Informational resources on Texas turtles and alligators, a map of Texas counties, a glossary, a bibliography, and indexes of common and scientific names complete the volume.

With more than 175,000 copies sold, Texas Wildflowers has established itself as the go-to guide for identifying the state’s roadside flowers. This new edition has been completely reorganized by flower colors (and within each color section, by flowering season) to make it even easier to identify the flowers you see as you travel through Texas. Every wildflower is illustrated with a beautiful full-color photograph-over 250 of which are new to this edition. All of the descriptive identifying information is presented in a consistent format-common and botanical names, plant and leaves, flowers and fruit, flowering season, habitat and range, and notes.What hasn’t changed is the book’s sturdy binding, which will hold up through years of active use, and its wealth of information, which has been thoroughly updated by the expert staff of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center:300 species descriptions, including engaging comments about the plants’ natural histories, landscape uses, edible or medicinal properties, and folkloreA map of Texas’s vegetational areasGlossaries that define and illustrate botanical termsA bibliography of books for learning more about wildflowersIndexes to common and botanical plant names, as well as plant families, that distinguish between native and non-native speciesAs Lady Bird Johnson observed in the foreword, Texas Wildflowers “makes me want to reach for my sunhat, put on my walking shoes, take this knowledge-filled book, and fare forth to seek and discover!”