If you think of the Texas Hill Country as mostly dry limestone slopes 
of cedar and scrub oak, prepare to have your eyes opened. The 
Edwards Plateau, upon which the Hill Country sits, is also a land of 
lush cypress-lined streams, diverse thickets, and shady hardwood 
bottomlands. Edged by canyonlands and intersected by creeks, 
these rocky hills support an abundance of trees, shrubs, and vines 
that provide food and cover for wildlife and create a distinct and 
durable landscape.

    Jan Wrede has compiled a field guide to more than 125 species 
of mostly native, mostly woody plants of the Texas Hill Country. A 
thoughtful introduction discusses deer, cedar, water, oak wilt, and 
invasive species—timely issues of increasing importance for a 
growing number of Texas landowners. Plant descriptions contain 
information about the leaves, flowers, fruit, and bark of each plant 
and also give insights into the species' range and habits. A color 
photograph accompanies each account.

    Especially useful is a comprehensive plant chart with tips about 
color, scent, flowering period, height, site preference, and wildlife 
and livestock utilization. A recommended reading list, a resource 
guide, and a glossary round out this information-packed book.

_________________________________________________________

JAN WREDE is director of education at the Cibolo Nature Center in 
Boerne, Texas, where she runs an outdoor classroom, directs field 
research projects, and conducts education programs for Hill Country 
landowners and families with children. Wrede also writes a nature 
column for the Boerne Star and Hill Country View.


Number Thirty-nine: Louise Lindsey Merrick Natural Environment Series


What people are saying about this book

"The beauty of this book is that anyone in the Texas Hill country 
associated with just plain every-day gardening as well as those 
involved with more esoteric botanical pursuits can rely upon it to 
cover the woody plant life of this small part of Texas. Jan Wrede 
nicely sliced off a small piece of Texas and bound it in a 
convenient backpack size book."—American Reference Books 
Annual, March 2006

". . . will be the standard plant resource guide for the Hill Country of 
Texas."—Rick Taylor, author of A Field Guide to Common South 
Texas Shrubs