--Winner of the Northern California Independent Booksellers' Association Golden Poppy Award-- California Plants  is an essential resource for outdoor enthusiasts. With his vibrant photographs and lively writing, Matt Ritter takes the reader on a journey through the Golden State's iconic landscapes and abundant plant life. This definitive guide features more than 500 species, along with detailed descriptions, fascinating natural history stories, and handy tree and wildflower color identification charts. "The thrill I felt growing up among the gorgeous plants of California returned when I first opened the beautiful pages of this book--a call to love, enjoy, and preserve California's plants that will bring pleasure to anyone who picks it up."--Peter H. Raven, president emeritus, Missouri Botanical Garden "If stories of place can be read in a land's flowers, shrubs, and trees, then this book is your guide to the history and wonder of California; a compelling invitation to celebrate and preserve its awesome diverse beauty."--Lorene Edwards Forkner, editor, Pacific Horticulture "One of the best Natural History books of all time"-- BookAuthority "The gardener interested in California native plants will love this book. The photos are fantastic and there's one for every plant mentioned."-- The Mercury News "...A wonderful text, rich with colorful photos, about the plants you see all the time but probably don't know much about."-- Los Angeles Times "...Central Coast biology professor has written what could be the definitive book on California's plants."-- KCLU , NPR for the Central Coast "...This beautiful book is at once accessible for newcomers and a delight for seasoned native plant enthusiasts...simple ID guides and no-nonsense glossary."--The California Native Plant Society Matt Ritter grew up in rural Mendocino County, California. He attended UC Santa Barbara to earn a bachelor's degree in microbiology and UC San Diego for a Ph.D. in plant biology. He's a botany professor in the biology department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He's authored numerous scientific papers and a natural history guide to San Luis Obispo's native plants. He's also the author of A Californian's Guide to the Trees among Us (Heyday, 2011), the state's funniest and most popular natural history guide to the urban forest. He won the Cal Poly Excellence in Teaching Award and the Western Chapter International Society of Arboriculture R. W. Harris Award for Excellence in Education. He studies trees that escape cultivation, particularly Eucalyptus, and is a woodworker, athlete, musician, gardener, and all-around likable guy.