Book Review: Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest (3rd edition) by Teresa Marrone and Kathy Yerich

Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest
by Teresa Marrone and Kathy Yerich (579.6 Mar)

For several years, my wife and I have had unpleasant infestations of thousands of large, ugly mushrooms under the Mountain Ash tree in our front yard, and I’ve been curious to learn more about the particular species of mushroom we’ve had to deal with. I had a found a few things online but wasn’t trusting that the information was completely accurate. So…when I saw this book on the New Books display at the downtown library, I grabbed it — hoping that it would help me identify my annual nemesis.

Not only did it quickly answer my ongoing question — the Ash Bolete (page 184), but I found numerous other mushrooms identified throughout the book, which I’ve personally seen on walks and hikes, both here in Nebraska and in the mountains of Colorado. The book opens with a section dealing with broad information about all types of mushrooms, then the majority of the book is broken down into ten mushroom categories. Each unique mushroom is given a two-page spread — the first page is a detailed description of the mushroom, and the second is photographic examples. The descriptions include things like: Habitat, physical Description, Spore Print, Season it can be found, Other Names (including the scientific identification), Compare (details distinguishing each from similar mushrooms), and miscellaneous notes.

Poisonous and/or inedible mushrooms are clearly identified — in the case of poisonous, there’s a skull&crossbones. In the case of mushrooms that are prized by cooks, there are notes to that effect.

The back of the book includes a bibliography to related resources, an extensive glossary of terminology used throughout the book, and a large index. According to the introduction, this book covers “the upper midwest”, including North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. However, I’ve already identified at least a dozen or more mushroom species here in the Lincoln area. I may buy this one myself!.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Field Guide to Mushrooms by the National Audubon Society, Mushrooms & Other Fungi of the Midcontinental United States by D.M. Huffman, L.H. Tiffany and G. Knaphus or Weeds of Nebraska and the Great Plains by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.]

[ official Teresa Marrone Twitter feed ] | [ official web site of Kathy Yerich, mushroom enthusiast ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library – Public Service

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

The Ultimate Field Guide to Photography

The Ultimate Field Guide to Photography

by the National Geographic Society [778.71 Nat]

When I think of National Geographic photography I recall the gorgeous images that grace its books and magazines. I picked up this book as an opportunity to look at more great photos. I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of down-to-earth advice. A chapter is devoted to cell phone photography. Robert Clark tells the story of his 50-day odyssey across the United States with his cell phone as his only camera. And the lessons that he learned about camera phone photography. Another chapter is devoted to the ubiquitous point and shoot camera. What all the settings mean and how to improve your compositions. Other chapters cover DSLRs and lens selection, macro and flash photography and reading histograms. These chapters are designed for people who view photography as a serious hobby. Still another chapter tells you how to tweak your photos in Adobe PhotoShop and PhotoShop Elements. Photographer John Healey condenses the multitude of technical information down to twelve tips. What do you do with all those images? There is a chapter devoted to photographic projects. The projects range from creating edible photos for celebration cakes to making calendars and greeting cards. How do you find the photos after you have downloaded them to your computer? National Geographic has some suggestions. A chapter talks about image management software available for PCs and Macs. This book is a comprehensive guide for improving your photography, storing your images and creating gifts for family and friends. -- recommended by Donna G. - Eiseley and Walt Branch Libraries

[ Publisher's page for The Ultimate Field Guide to Photography web site ]

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.