The Naturalist's Illustrated Guide to the Sierra Foothills and Central Valley

California's San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys and the nearby Sierra Nevada Foothills are host to abundant varied and often surprising plants and wildlife. This fully illustrated guide pairs over seven hundred meticulous line drawings with descriptions of the birds mammals amphibians reptiles fishes invertebrates plants and fungi that make the Central Valley and Foothill Regions their home. Like a ranger-led nature walk each species receives a lively overview; readers will learn about freshwater jellyfish mushrooms that decompose railroad ties handstanding spotted skunks salt-shedding pickleweed-not to mention insects. Every write-up not only contains fun facts but also conveys a sense of the complex connections and interactions that sustain life in a unique place. Previously published as <i>Magpies and Mayflies</i> (Heyday 2005) <i>The Naturalist's Illustrated Guide to the Sierra Foothills and Central Valley</i> features an attractive new cover updated scientific and common names and a full interior redesign.