Central Beauty: Wildflowers and Flowering Shrubs of the Southern Interior of British Columbia is a follow-up to three previous volumes on wildflowers written by Neil Jennings and published by Rocky Mountain Books. It is being published at the same time as Coastal Beauty Wildflowers and Flowering Shrubs of Coastal British Columbia and Vancouver Island, making a set of five books in the series.
All five books include exceptional photographs and interesting information about each plant. For ease of reference, the books are arranged by flower colour and by plant family. A complete index is included, using both the common and the scientific names for all plants.
Central Beauty explores the wildflowers and flowering shrubs commonly found in the portions of British Columbia , typically known as the southern interior—very roughly an east/west line drawn through Williams Lake , B.C. The southern limit of the area extends well into the states of Washington , Idaho and Montana.
Central Beauty is a handy pocket guide for hikers and amateur naturalists to the flora of the southern interior of BC. The plants included are also found in parts of Washington State, Idaho and Montana. The wildflowers and flowering shrubs depicted are arranged first by colour and then by family. The page edges are colour coded for ease of use. Each entry includes a general description, where the plant can be found, the meaning of the genus name, and other highlights such as Aboriginal uses, what animals favour the fruits and poisonous effects if any.
Jennings is an avid outdoorsman whose work has appeared in a number of outdoor magazines. He has previously written four books on western wildflowers includingCoastal Beauty(also included in this catalogue) and Prairie Beauty.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. BC Books for BC Schools. 2008-2009.