Waterfalls and Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachians: Thirty Great Hikes

by Timothy P. Spira

Overview

If you love waterfalls, here are some of the best hikes in the Southern Appalachians. And if you love plants—or simply would like to learn more about them—you will be in hiking heaven: naturalist Tim Spira's guidebook links waterfalls and wildflowers in a spectacularly beautiful region famous for both. Leading you to gorgeous waterfalls in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia, the book includes many hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. As he surveys one of America's most biologically diverse regions, Spira introduces hikers to the "natural communities" approach for identifying and understanding plants within the context of the habitats they occupy—equipping hikers to see and interpret landscapes in a new way.

Each of the 30 hikes includes:

* a detailed map and GPS coordinates
* a lively trail description highlighting the plants you are most likely to see, as well as birds and other animals along the way
* an associated plant species list

Also featured:

* beautiful color photographs of 30 destination waterfalls, 125 plants, and more
* detailed descriptions of 125 key plant species
* 22 drawings to help identify plant structures
* a glossary of botanical terms

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781469622644
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	03/02/2015
Series:	Southern Gateways Guides
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	1,086,730
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Tim Spira's love for nature began in the mountains of California, where he studied alpine gentians as a graduate student and did rare plant surveys for the U.S. Forest Service. Since completing a Ph.D. in botany at the University of California, Berkeley, Tim has shared his passion for plants with students and colleagues for nearly 30 years, including 10 years as a faculty member at Georgia Southern University and 18 years at Clemson University, where he currently teaches plant ecology, field botany, and the natural history of wildflowers. Tim enjoys hiking, bicycling, gardening, and traveling to natural areas throughout the world, as well as exploring plants and habitats in the southern Appalachian mountains and adjoining piedmont. He has published more than 30 research papers in scientific journals, and his photographs have appeared in books, scientific journals, and magazines. Tim and his wife, Lisa Wagner, (along with their dog Mocha) divide their time between Clemson, South Carolina, and Asheville, North Carolina, where they've transformed their lawns into meadows, shrub borders, and woodlands featuring native plants.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

I can't wait to have this book in my backpack (and in my hand) on a mountain trail! Tim Spira's guide will appeal to hikers, waterfall enthusiasts, wildflower lovers, and folks interested in the natural history of the Southern Appalachian region, plus boaters and fisherpersons who encounter waterfalls in their wanderings. The wildflowers are placed in the context of natural communities and other natural history features through 30 fascinating hikes. Tim's photos are outstanding and will be very useful for identifying wildflowers." —Thomas R. Wentworth, coauthor of Exploring Southern Appalachian Forests: An Ecological Guide to 30 Great Hikes in the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia

Thomas R. Wentworth

I can't wait to have this book in my backpack (and in my hand) on a mountain trail! Tim Spira's guide will appeal to hikers, waterfall enthusiasts, wildflower lovers, and folks interested in the natural history of the Southern Appalachian region, plus boaters and fisherpersons who encounter waterfalls in their wanderings. The wildflowers are placed in the context of natural communities and other natural history features through 30 fascinating hikes. Tim's photos are outstanding and will be very useful for identifying waterfall wildflowers.

Editorial Reviews

Offers informative essays, accompanied by stunning color photos and helpful maps. . . . Biologists will savor this handy hiking guide to a particularly beautiful region." —Library Journal

For those who like to hike light . . . [Waterfalls and Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachians] could be the only guidebook you'll need this season."—WNC Magazine

An artistic and athletic feat. . . . As useful for vacation-at-the-cabin reading sessions as it is as a field guide." —Asheville Citizen-Times

Links waterfalls and wildflowers in a spectacularly beautiful region famous for both. Equip[s] hikers to see and interpret landscapes in a new way." —McCormick Messenger

From the Publisher

04/15/2015
That TLC song warns, "Don't go chasing waterfalls," but trekkers should seek out such natural wonders and the similarly gorgeous wildflowers to be found along Southern Appalachian trails. Providing guidance for the forays is Spira (biology, Clemson Univ.), who offers informative essays, accompanied by stunning color photos and helpful maps, on 30 scenic hikes to be undertaken in Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas, including many within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Detailed breakdowns of 125 key plant species and a glossary and index are also provided. VERDICT Biologist's will savor this handy hiking guide to a particularly beautiful region.

Library Journal