"I wholeheartedly, unequivocally, and strongly recommend this fine and beautiful book. California's Wild Gardens is truly one of a kind and will be enjoyed by everyone interested in our state's native plants."

—Bart O'Brien, The Southern California Gardener

"For more than a century the world has considered California the Garden of the West. The basis of this garden, of course, is nature herself, the wild garden of California. This glorious book, en route to becoming a classic, celebrates the first premise of California: nature, in all her bewildering variety and profusion."

—Kevin Starr, author of Americans and the California Dream and former California State Librarian

California's Wild Gardens showcases the splendid abundance of California's native plants in their natural settings—from foggy rain forests and rolling grasslands to high alpine meadows and parched deserts. The book offers a close-up look at more than one hundred special sites in the state, highlighting their distinctive ecology, the rare and unique plants found in them, and some of their more familiar botanical treasures. With its spectacular color photographs and lively writing by some of California's best biologists and ecologists, California's Wild Gardens is the perfect introduction to the state's remarkable botanical diversity. Like the best travel guides, it will inspire its readers to further explore California's natural heritage. In addition to illuminating California's botanical bounty, this book discusses threats facing the state's flora and describes protection efforts now under way.

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