The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

CONTACT: Pat Brown, (608) 265-3355; pabrown1@wisc.edu)

BOOK EXPLORES ARBORETUM WILDFLOWERS

MADISON, WI - This spring, visitors to the UW Arboretum can come prepared to venture out into the forests and discover the fascinating species and beautiful colors of Wisconsin flora, thanks to Andrew Hipp's new book, "Spring Woodland Wildflowers of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum."

The book, available for purchase at the Arboretum Bookstore ($12.50), provides an introduction to the identification and natural history of 49 species that generally bloom during April and May. Based on Hipp's personal plant observations, as well as extensive examination of materials collected by the Wisconsin State Herbarium, the book offers a new look at the state's flora.

"In the process of coming up with descriptions that I felt were compelling and believable, I needed to make sure I went directly back to the plant itself so that I would have fresh data for this book," says Hipp, a UW-Madison graduate student in botany and an Arboretum naturalist since 1993.

Ultimately, the book combines user-friendly text, a complete glossary of botanical terms, rich illustrations and colorful photographs to entice readers to learn more about the morphological descriptions, flowering dates and ecological information about various wildflower species. It also contains a historical context for each of the Arboretum's five major areas of oak woodlands and upland forests, as well as details about the soils and canopy coverings. Readers can apply this useful information to help answer general questions about wildflowers and to explain why specific plants are found in certain locations.

"We did this book because these are the plants people love," explains Hipp, "and it's nice to have a little more information on them and an introduction if you're not already familiar with them."

While "Spring Woodland Wildflowers" offers users a look at more familiar and favorite species, such as white and yellow trout-lily, Solomon's-seal and bristly buttercup, it also includes a few surprises. For example, visitors using Hipp's guide may be lucky to stumble upon false mermaid, a common herb found beneath the leaf litter of Wingra Woods.
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