Colors of the West: An Artist’s Guide to Nature’s Palette
Learn to observe, sketch, and paint nature from an award-winning outdoor artist and art teacher.
Colors of the West explores wild places through the lens of watercolor “en plein air” painting, a French term meaning literally “in the open air.” Steeped in the natural world, award-winning artist Molly Hashimoto has sketched in the outdoors and worked as a plein air artist and teacher for more than 20 years. In that time she has filled more than 40 sketchbooks with landscapes, vignettes, studies of flora and fauna, and natural history notes―all created while visiting some of the West’s most stunning landscapes.
This new book is organized by color, a unique approach to teaching both intermediate and budding artists how to really see color in the outdoor spaces around them, and then apply it to journals, other art projects, or simply beautiful memories. The average person can see 17,000 colors (!), so Molly explains the concept of palette, that is the range of colors that unites elements of geography, geology, and the different kinds of light created by atmosphere, season, and latitude. Molly’s own hand‐drawn sketches and paintings of familiar Western landscapes help convey these colors, along with sidebars and insets on individual species (trees, birds, mammals, and other flora and fauna) and historical notes related to the park or site she has sketched. Tips and techniques for outdoor journaling and painting are included throughout.
From the green hues found on Cascade Head on the Oregon Coast and in Yellowstone’s quaking aspens, to the reds that highlight the rocks in Arches National Park and the the giant sequoias in California, readers and artists of all levels will learn a new appreciation for the colors of the West―and how the details of natural beauty can be revealed when we stop, observe, and pay attention to the outdoor world.
Park Rangers and What They Do
Today, we head out with the forester. Do any trees have to be cut down or planted? Are there any animals in the forest that weren’t there before? Is the forest clean or did someone dump trash? Is there a walk in the dark on the program? The forester keeps an eye on all of that and protects nature.
For ages 4 and up.
Ocean Anatomy Sticker Book
Fans can’t get enough of Julia Rothman’s acclaimed illustrations from her best-selling book, Ocean Anatomy, and now they can put them anywhere they want with more than 750 stickers depicting birds, fish, lobsters, snails, sharks, jellyfish, and much more.
A fun, compact gift that’s easy to pack or ship!
Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman
One of the best things about getting out into nature is the curiosity that a simple walk can inspire. Nature Anatomy is a smart and beautiful book that is full of questions and answers about anything and everything outside, from bats and whales to mushrooms and mountain ranges. Take it with you on the trail, or bring the wilderness into your living room!
Also available at the Wilder Ranch, Natural Bridges, Santa Cruz Mission, and Seacliff ParkStores.
Laminated Guide to Common California Wildflowers
An essential item for your next spring hike!
This portable guide covers 60 of the most common wildflower species in California, including perennials, annuals, and biennials, both native and naturalized.
Good Night Beach
The beach, an iconic fixture of many children’s summers, is artfully celebrated in this board book. Designed to soothe children before bedtime while instilling an early appreciation for the environment’s natural wonders, the book features a multicultural group of people experiencing all that the beach has to offer. Rhythmic language guides children through the passage of a single day of fun at the seaside—splashing, playing in the waves, boating, fishing, identifying wildlife, and more.
Laminated Guide to Common Mushrooms of California
A sturdy, backpack-sized field guide to the most common California mushrooms. Great for your next rainy day hike!
A Californian’s Guide to Birds Among Us
This unique field guide provides a beautifully illustrative snapshot of California’s birdlife by closely studying 120 specific and easily-scene species. Far more than just an identification guide, the Californian’s Guide to Birds Among Us goes into fascinating detail about the habits, behavior, habitats of common California birds. The best field guides spark curiosity, and Charles Hood has written a book that will draw the casual birder ever deeper into the avian world.
California Plants: a Field Guide to Our Iconic Flora
If you often find yourself pausing on a hike to wonder what that plant or tree might be, California Plants is just the book for you! Organized by habitat (including grasslands, forests, marshes, and coastal areas), Matt Ritter’s book is accessible for all levels of knowledge. Also available at the Natural Bridges, Wilder Ranch, Seacliff and Santa Cruz Mission ParkStores.
Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast
A comprehensive and user-friendly field guide for identifying the many mushrooms of the northern California coast, from Monterey County to the Oregon border.
Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast will help beginning and experienced mushroom hunters alike to find and identify mushrooms, from common to rare, delicious to deadly, and interesting to beautiful. This user-friendly reference covers coastal California from Monterey County to the Oregon border with full treatments of more than 750 species, and references to hundreds more. With tips on mushroom collecting, descriptions of specific habitats and biozones, updated taxonomy, and outstanding photography, this guide is far and away the most modern and comprehensive treatment of mushrooms in the region. Each species profile pairs a photograph with an in-depth description, as well as notes on ecology, edibility, toxicity, and look-alike species. Written by mushroom identification experts and supported by extensive field work, Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast is an indispensable guide for anyone curious about fungi.