For these and other guide books and identification keys for plants in Minnesota and the Great Lakes Region, contact your local libraries, book stores or the University of Minnesota book stores! For recommended books on earthworm ecology, forest ecology and exotic species invasions look here.
Earthworms
Soil Biology Guide by D. L. Dindal (editor). 1990. Wiley, New York.
- for a detailed identification key to most of the European exotic earthworm species, see the chapter titled Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae by D. P. Schwert. pages 341-356.
- For a detailed identification key to most of the native North American earthworm species, see the chapter titled Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae and other earthworms from southern and midwestern North America by S.W. James. pages 370-386.
The earthworms (Lumbricidae and Sparganophilidae) of Ontario by John W. Reynolds. 1977. Life Sciences Miscellaneous Publications, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, Canada, M5S 2C6 *another detailed key to the identification of European exotic earthworm species (Lumbricidae). It may be hard to find this one but the combination of this key and Schwert’s key (listed above) are considered the best authoritative references for North American exotic earthworm identification available at this time.
Forest and Native Plant Community Classification
Field Guide to the Native Plant Communities of Minnesota: the Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province. (2006) Publisher – MN Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN
Field Guide to the Native Plant Communities of Minnesota: the Laurentian Mixed Forest Province. (2003) Publisher – MN Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN
A guide to forest communities and habitat types of central and southern Wisconsin. Kotar J. and T.L. Burger T. L. (1996) Department of Forest Ecology and Management, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
A guide to forest communities and habitat types of northern Wisconsin. Kotar J., J.A. Kovach and T.L. Burger (2002), 2nd Edition. Department of Forest Ecology and Management, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
Plants
Newcomb’s wildflower guide. by Lawrence Newcomb. 1977. Publisher – Little, Brown and Company, Boston, MA. *This is a book widely used by field botanists as a quick reference to carry withthem in the field and is highly recommended.
Ferns of Minnesota. by Rolla Tryon. 1980. Publisher - University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN * The definitive and easy to use guide to Minnesota’s ferns!
Orchids of Minnesota. by Welby R. Smith. 1993. Publisher - University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN * The definitive and easy to use guide to Minnesota’s orchids with amazingly beautiful illustrations and photographs
Peterson Field Guides – Wildflowers of northeastern/northcentral North America. by Roger Tory Peterson & Margaret McKenny. 1968. Publisher – Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA
Peterson Field Guides – Trees & Shrubs. by George A. Petrides. 1986. Publisher – Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA
Michigan Trees – a guide to the trees of Michigan and the Great Lakes Region. by Burton V. Barnes & Warren H. Wagner. 1981. Publisher – University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI *One of the best books for complete, accurate and easy to follow keys to the identification of many of the regions trees and selected shrub species.
Animals
The Birder’s Handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. by Paul R. Ehrlich, David S. Dobkin and Darryl Wheye. 1988. Publisher - Simon & Schuster, Fireside. * You probably won’t want to take this one in the field with you, but it is the definitive source for information on the natural history of North American bird species. Everything you wanted to know about habitat requirements, nesting, breeding, migration, food preferences and much more, all in one place.
Field guide to the birds of North America. by The National Geographic Society. 1987. Publisher – The National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. * One of the most widely used and recommended field guides for birds. This is the one you take with you in the field!
Peterson’s guides… *A whole series of guide books on birds, mammals, amphibians & reptiles, etc.
The Audubon Society’s field guides to…*A whole series of guide books on birds, mammals, amphibians & reptiles, insects & spiders, etc.
The Mammals of Minnesota by Evan B. Hazard. 1982. Publisher - University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN
Amphibians & reptiles native to Minnesota by Barney Oldfield and John J. Moriarty. 1994. Publisher - University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN
American Insects: a handbook of the insects of America north of Mexico by R. H. Arnett. 1985. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York.