America's most populous region is also home to some of the nation's most serenely beautiful country. Tracing a gentle, thousand-mile curve from New York City southwestward to Montgomery, Alabama, the Piedmont connects an arc of urban centers which includes five state capitals, America's largest city, and the national capital. Between the Atlantic coastal plain and the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Piedmont's rolling hills span miles of farmland and forest. Michael Godfrey's Field Guide to the Piedmont--originally published by Sierra Club Books and here newly revised and updated--is an informative and entertaining guide to the entire region's habitats, ecosystems, and rich botanical communities. Focusing on plant succession, geology, soils, climate, and the plants and animals with which we share the land, Field Guide to the Piedmont also features 180 illustrations for easy identification of the Piedmont's principal flora and fauna. A chapter describing and providing directions to over fifty sites of special interest will inspire Piedmont residents to take this field guide in hand and explore their natural surroundings. Southern Gateways Guide is a registered trademark of the University of North Carolina Press

This richly illustrated field guide serves as an introduction to the wildflowers and plant communities of the southern Appalachians and the rolling hills of the adjoining piedmont. Rather than organizing plants, including trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, by flower color or family characteristics, as is done in most guidebooks, botanist Tim Spira takes a holistic, ecological approach that enables the reader to identify and learn about plants in their natural communities. This approach, says Spira, better reflects the natural world, as plants, like other organisms, don't live in isolation; they coexist and interact in myriad ways. Full-color photo keys allow the reader to rapidly preview plants found within each of the 21 major plant communities described, and the illustrated species description for each of the 340 featured plants includes fascinating information about the ecology and natural history of each plant in its larger environment. With this new format, readers can see how the mountain and piedmont landscapes form a mosaic of plant communities that harbor particular groups of plants. The volume also includes a glossary, illustrations of plant structures, and descriptions of sites to visit. Whether you're a beginning naturalist or an expert botanist, this guidebook is a useful companion on field excursions and wildflower walks, as well as a valuable reference. Southern Gateways Guide is a registered trademark of the University of North Carolina Press

Mushrooms in the wild present an enticing challenge: some are delicious, others are deadly, and still others take on almost unbelievable forms. This field guide introduces 650 mushrooms found in the Carolinas--more than 50 of them appearing in a field guide for the first time--using clear language and color photographs to reveal their unique features. What's included: Hundreds of full color photographs of Carolina mushrooms Information on mushroom edibility and toxicity Microscopic information An overview of the Carolinas' role in the history of American mycology Perfect for those interested in learning more about mushrooms, the unusually large number of described species makes this book a must-have for experienced mushroom hunters as well as beginners. Here, at last, is the field guide for North and South Carolina mushrooms, from the mountains to the coast, presented in a single, portable volume.

Central North Carolina boasts a rich and varied architectural landscape. This richly illustrated guide offers a fascinating look at the Piedmont's historic architecture, covering more than 2,000 sites in 34 counties. 535 illustrations.

Grasses are among the most ubiquitous plants on the planet. They inhabit a wide geographic range and are found in a variety of natural habitats. The small parts of the grass flower and specialized terminology, however, can make identifying grasses a challenging endeavor. Sarah Chamberlain’s Field Guide to Grasses of the Mid-Atlantic makes identification simpler for everyone—regardless of their previous botanical knowledge. Featuring an easy-to-use dichotomous key, this is a user-friendly guide to more than 300 types of grasses found from the Blue Ridge Mountains and southern plains to the Appalachians and the Allegheny Plateau. Each major entry contains detailed species diagrams as well as common names, habitats, and distribution. The book’s opening sections outline the parts of grass flowers and describe stem, leaf, and sheath characteristics. With a wealth of illustrations, instructions on how to use the key, and a glossary of terms, Field Guide to Grasses of the Mid-Atlantic is an indispensable reference for naturalists and conservationists, botanists, land management professionals, and students and scholars of mid-Atlantic flora.

This award-winning, lavishly illustrated history displays the wide range of North Carolina's architectural heritage, from colonial times to the beginning of World War II. North Carolina Architecture addresses the state's grand public and private buildings that have become familiar landmarks, but it also focuses on the quieter beauty of more common structures: farmhouses, barns, urban dwellings, log houses, mills, factories, and churches. These buildings, like the people who created them and who have used them, are central to the character of North Carolina. Now in a convenient new format, this portable edition of North Carolina Architecture retains all of the text of the original edition as well as hundreds of halftones by master photographer Tim Buchman. Catherine Bishir's narrative analyzes construction and design techniques and locates the structures in their cultural, political, and historical contexts. This extraordinary history of North Carolina's built world presents a unique and valuable portrait of the state.

This well-organized reference guide to wild mushrooms will aid professional mycologists, students, and mushroom enthusiasts alike with its accurate and detailed identification tools. It provides nomenclaturally and scientifically accurate accounts of the unusually wide range of mushrooms in the Southeast, from northerly species found in North Georgia and North Carolina to the subtropical and even tropical species found in the Piedmont. Comprehensive in scope, this guide offers a thoughtful approach to solving taxonomy and identification problems. Features: -Coverage of 24 genera and 450 species -More than 1,000 color photographs that aid in identification -Line drawings that detail the complicated and subtle structures of fungi -Classification of seldom-seen species as well as those most familiar in the region -Sections on toxic and psychoactive properties of some fungi -Warnings about the dangers of some mushroom varieties