One of my favorite things about northern California are all the wonderful hiking trails. Whether ocean-side or deep in a Redwood grove, we are spoiled with natural beauty.
My hikes got a lot more fun and interesting after I received a copy of this book as a gift. The National Audubon Society’s Field Guide to California has lush photos of every plant, tree, flower, bird, fish, mammal, or mollusk you might come across during your hike. The breadth is remarkable.
The field guide also forces all of us to slow down, scanning the undergrowth for flowers to look up or birds to analyze. When Bean inevitable starts collecting acorns, I can show her the type of acorn she’s holding in the book and the tree it fell from. As a toddler, the field guide is a way to reign in her toddler energy, capture her attention, and bond over a photo. I’m excited to see how it becomes a learning tool as she grows older.
If you don’t live in California, the National Audubon Society also publishes field guides for the Rocky Mountain, Southeastern, Southwestern, New England, Pacific Northwest, and Mid-Atlantic states and Florida.
