Collins Gem Trees: How To Identify The Most Common Species

Description:
The best-selling, unrivalled beginner's guide to identifying the most common species of tree in northern Europe. This is the perfect pocket guide for anyone who wants to identify those deciduous or evergreen species they may come across on hill or in dale, in the town or in the countryside. For each tree included in the book, there is a wealth of both textual and visual identification information. Remarkably detailed illustrations show not only the overall shape of the tree but also details of leaf shape, flowers, fruits and bark. There's also information on the origin of each species, its height, preferred habitat and growing conditions. Illustrations of cones, catkins, nuts and fruits allow you to distinguish between similar species at a glance. The introduction covers the life cycle of trees, the establishment of woodland, people's relationship with forests and how to go about identifying trees, plus the all-important question -- what exactly is a tree?

Author Biography:
Alistair Fitter is Professor of Biology at the University of York. Among his publications have been the Collins Pocket Guide Wild Flowers, An Atlas of the Wild Flowers of Britain and Europe, and Collins Guide to Grasses, Sedges, Rushes and Ferns of Britain and Northern Europe. In September 2003 he became resident of the British Ecological Society. David More has been a botanical illustrator for many years. His other books include Collins Tree Guide (2004), Trees of North America (1988) with the late Alan Mitchell, and the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees (2003) by John White. He has also contributed artwork for many other books, magazines and posters, including a design for the Natural History Museum in London.