Book excerpt: "Combining elements of a journal, sketchbook, notebook, and textbook, Waterstained Landscapes focuses on the Denver region and the dry West, Protagonist Crane learns that tracing the "waterstain" - water concentration and accompanying plant responses - is like reading the braille of western landscapes, a hidden text that reveals information about natural processes and human values. The book describes the regional processes that shape these plant patterns, and goes on to explore how natural and cultural mechanisms change and affect designed and undesigned landscapes over time. Woodward takes special note of the evolution of landscape design eras, following the fate of one house as its garden changes under the influence of different styles and various owners' tastes."--BOOK JACKET.