Plant Guide: Natural History, Channel Islands, California

Author(s):Jim Riley

$55.00

The Channel Islands of California: A Plant Guide introduces the unique flora of California’s most remote coastlines—places where pre-Columbian habitats still persist in solitude. Alongside plant identifications, the book offers insights into the islands’ geology, archaeology, and wildlife, revealing how isolation has shaped their exceptional biodiversity. It invites readers to explore and appreciate the beauty and ecological significance of this extraordinary archipelago.

Title Details

The Channel Islands of California are spectacular in every sense of the word, yet they are our least visited coastlines. The remoteness and difficulty of access make visiting these islands particularly rewarding. They are truly the only coastlines in California where one can explore a pre-Columbian habitat in solitude. This is a plant guide first and foremost, but it has sketches of the geology, archaeology, tide pools, reptiles, birds, and mammals of the islands. It has been written to showcase and promote the impressive and staggering beauty, diversity, and uniqueness of these islands for all who visit them. Knowledge of the natural history of the Channel Islands and their evolutionary relationships offers not just a delight, but a deeper understanding, connection, and awe of our natural world.

Jim Riley is a co-founder of Jardín Botánico de San Quintín, A.C., which owns and manages the only vernal pool natural reserves in Mexico. He is the author of Plant Guide Maritime Succulent Scrub Region, Northwest Baja California, Mexico, Vernal Pools and Their Plants, Northwest Baja California, and co-author of Mammals, Reserva Natural Valle Tranquilo & Reserva Natural Punta Mazo, Baja California. Jim came to environmental advocacy after retiring from business and has now dedicated himself to conservation of native habitats in northwest Baja California. Jim surfed and hiked extensively on Santa Cruz Island during once-a-year trips in the 1980s and 1990s. Enchanted with the landscapes but wholly uninformed on the biology, geology, and history, in 2017 he began to read and study more about the islands. This volume is a product of that study.

Pickup available at 1700 University Drive

Usually ready in 24 hours

SBM 61

ISSN: 0883-1475

ISBN-13: 978-1-889878-70-6

Publication Date: 02/20/2023

Specifications: 7"×10" (hbk, flex bind), 290 pp., full-color pics/diagrams

Plant Guide: Natural History, Channel Islands, California

Title Details

You may also like