Waterfalls and Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachians

Thirty Great Hikes

By Timothy P. Spira

304 pp., 6 x 9, 170 color plates., 22 drawings, 1 halftone, 31 maps, index

  • Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4696-2264-4
    Published: March 2015
  • E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-1-4696-2265-1
    Published: March 2015
  • E-book PDF ISBN: 979-8-8908-4502-3
    Published: March 2015

Southern Gateways Guides

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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

About the Author

Timothy P. Spira, professor of biology at Clemson University, is the author of Wildflowers and Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont: A Naturalist's Guide to the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia.
For more information about Timothy P. Spira, visit the Author Page.

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

"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

Multimedia & Links

Visit the author's website timothyspira.com.

Learn more at his wildflower ecology blog.