Book Review: New Wildflower Guides
Western Washington and Oregon in Bloom: Find and Identify the 150 Most Common Wildflowers: A Practical, Pocket-sized, and Beginner-Friendly Wildflower Guide for Western Washington and Oregon. By Ellen Kuhlmann and Mark Turner, Timber Press, 2026
Eastern Washington and Oregon in Bloom: Find and Identify the 150 Most Common Wildflowers: A Practical, Pocket-sized, and Beginner-Friendly Wildflower Guide for Eastern Washington and Oregon. By Ellen Kuhlmann and Mark Turner, Timber Press, 2026
It’s always a treat when you come across wildflowers while walking in the wilderness. Or perhaps even in your own backyard. But it can be challenging to identify them. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, there are two wonderful new wildflower guides to help you do just that. They are “Eastern Washington and Oregon in Bloom” and “Western Washington and Oregon in Bloom.”
Both are the works of Ellen Kuhlmann and Mark Turner, each of whom reside in Bellingham, Wash. Ellen wrote the wildflower descriptions and Mark took the photographs.
Each book focuses on the 150 most common wildflowers you might encounter in either region of Washington state. What’s really nice is that the publisher made the books small enough to fit in your pocket. That way, you can always have one “at the ready” when you come across a wildflower that piques your curiosity.
Don’t let the size of these books fool you, however. They are absolutely packed with great information.
The first 50 or so pages provide helpful information about treading softly in the wilderness, staying safe, the climate and geography of each region of Washington or Oregon state, and the characteristics of the amazing habitats you’ll encounter.
Then each book dives into what you need to know in order to identify the wildflowers you come across. To really help you narrow down the identity of a wildflower, the photographs and information are organized by the color of the flower.
Each plant profile includes the habitat in which you’d expect to find a wildflower, when it blooms, a description of the plant, what their flowers and leaves look like, the type of dry fruit they produce, and additional information.
After all of the profiles, you’ll find suggestions of books, apps and websites for a deep dive into more about wildflowers. There’s also a useful glossary of terms.
Mark Turner, owner of Turner Photographics, is a colleague of mine and he has such a wonderful eye for composition. All of the photos really show off the plants’ beauty and what makes them unique.
I heartily recommend Eastern Washington and Oregon in Bloom and Western Washington and Oregon in Bloom as great resources for nature lovers.
Where you can find these books? You can purchase them directly from Mark at Turner Photographics. They cost $19.99 each and you can even get your copy autographed.