Book excerpt: Beautifully illustrated with more than 350 color photographs and arranged to easily identify the species, Wildflowers of New York in Color is an easy-to-read introduction to the wildflowers of New York State. The nontechnical language of the text is accompanied by both visual and scientific glossaries. The book is set up so that users can identify flowers by flower color. Within each color group, simple characteristics, such as the number of petals or flower shape further illustrate the most commonly encountered and best-known wildflowers. In addition, the guide includes a selection of rare and protected species. A number of the photographs depict wildflowers rarely represented in other guides. Given here are wildflowers of all the New York State habitats, from Long Island to the northern Adirondacks. Common Burdock. Because the book covers only one state, the flowering seasons are more specific and accurate than those listed in national guides. This combination of features makes the book the most practical and user friendly wildflower guide available about New York State.