A Field Guide to Venomous Animals and Poisonous Plants: North America North of Mexico (Peterson Field Guides (R)) by Roger Caras, Steven Foster Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of A Field Guide to Venomous Animals and Poisonous Plants: North America North of Mexico (Peterson Field Guides (R))
Book Review: Handy
Summary: 4 Stars
I decided to get this book after my daughter broke out in a nasty Poison Oak rash. I had no idea we even had Poison Oak in our yard.
This book is very informative, but I wish it had more color pictures, especially of the poisonous plants.
Book Review: Quickly Received in Great Condition
Summary: 5 Stars
Product arrived as guaranteed, and the book delivered everything promised. Wish there were more color pictures of the actual plants; but overall, it's a GREAT field guide for someone just starting out in learning about what to avoid while hiking, camping, or just walking through the woods.Book Review: Don't harm snake on cover !!
Summary: 4 Stars
My little brother just gave me this field guide. I was shocked to see a picture of a completely harmless Scarlet Kingsnake on the cover of a field guide to Venemous Animals.
I like the field guide, but please people, if you see the snake on the cover - understand it is a Kingsnake and completely harmless, not a Coral snake which is probably what they intended to have on the cover.
Coral snakes do not have red bands between two black bands, and the type of bands they have are quite different.
If you see a Coral snake, please don't kill it either - leave it alone, but especially do not kill a harmless Scarlet Kingsnake thinking it was a Coral snake. Hopefully the next edition will fix this embarrasing mistake.
Book Review: Great field guide
Summary: 5 Stars
perterson field guides are the best Ive found. I appreciate the easy to use guides and the content is excellent.Book Review: Essential to Everyone Outdoors
Summary: 5 Stars
"Peterson's Field Guide to Venomous Animals and Poisonous Plants" is the first thing to be packed in one's backpack.It is essential to every hiker, camper, naturalist, hunter, bird watcher and nature lover. There are a hell of alot less hazards than benign plants and animals (although this varies somewhat according to region. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US has it easy compared to the Southwest) and while most people could identify a few, it doesnt make sense not to learn the 2-3 dozen major ones to avoid.The book is up to Peterson's usual high standards in a field guide. It covers mammals followed by poisonous plants, shrubs/trees, vines, ferns and fungi. There are color photographs but the black and white drawings are the way to go for IDing. Most people will not read the entire book unless they're a hardcore naturalist or really, really bored in front of a campfire. I recommend checking out the hazards in your partiualr area icluding AT LEAST the following: 1. All poisonous snakes and their look-a-likes 2. Black Widow and Brown Recluse spider 3. Tics and Scorpions 4. Bees, Wasps, Fire Ants 5. Poisonous Plants including the Big 3: Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac 6. Poisonous Mushrooms (not so you can learn which you can eat, but to understand the severity of eating just one wrong one)
There's alot that won't apply to you(save those for a rainy day) and some hazards are less hazardous than others. For example, the short-tail shrew is listed, but most people need not live in fear of "killer shrews". But knowing that their bite has some bite to it, maybe you'll avoid juggling those cute furry creatures. Also, large mammals aren't included, though bears and mountain lions can seem pretty hazardous to me in some situations.I recommend supplementing your reading with "Bear Aware" by Bill Schneider and "Mountain Lion Alert" by Steven Torres. In addition, I wouldn't trust this book solely to gather a gourmet wild mushroom feast, either. I've seen some books topping 1,000 pages on edible shrooms and they still might not be complete. Its best to leave the shrooms alone!
Finally, there are a few diseases found outdoors worth researching: Giardia, hantavirus, rabies, and lyme disease among others.
Also recommended: "Peterson's Wild Edible Plants" and "Medicinal Plants".
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