This field guide to the plants and animals of California and Nevada's Sierra Nevada range, written and illustrated by Laws (a research associate with the California Academy of Sciences), contains some 2700 color illustrations aiding in the identification of some 1700 species native to the region, including trees, wildflowers, ferns, fungi, lichens, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals, insects, and more. It offers guidance on common and scientific names and occasional range maps for species that are difficult to distinguish from each other. It also includes information on animal tracks and (scat) evidence, seasonal star charts, weather patterns, and cloud formations. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)