Book Reviews
Flora of Melbourne
Full Title: Flora of Melbourne - 4th Edition - A guide to the indigenous plants of the greater Melbourne area.
Author: Marilyn Bull
Published: 2014
Publisher: Hyland House Publishing Pty Ltd
Book type: Non- Fiction
Categories: Indigenous plants, identification
Description: This book includes over 1,100 plant species indigenous to the greater Melbourne area and describes each one in great detail for identification purposes. It also goes into great detail on local soil types, vegetation communities, weeds and regeneration techniques.
Photos/drawings: Most species are accompanies by both a photo and a detailed line drawing.
Local relevance: This is probably the most useful book in this area!
Final comments: As said above, this book is probably the most useful book for this area! It is large and a little heavy, so not always practical to carry with you in the bush, however is does cover all indigenous species in the city of Knox and all bordering council areas except the furthest reaches of the Yarra Ranges and Casey.
Attracting Butterflies to your Garden
Title: Attracting Butterflies to your Garden
Author: Densey Clyne
Published: 2011
Publisher: Reed New Holland
Book type: Non- Fiction
Categories: insects, gardening guide
Description: This book includes profiles of 32 different species of Australian butterfly, covering identification, food plant preferences and life cycles.
Photos/drawings: The photos in this book are stunning and very detailed, depicting all stages of the butterflies life cycle for most species.Clear distribution maps are also provided
Local relevance: The book does cover species from across Australia, so some species are not relevant to the Knox area.
Final comments: This book is visually stunning and very easy to navigate and read. It would have been nice to see a bit more detail in specific plant species listed for each butterfly, but it generally provided good information for all species. It also provides some good basic information of butterfly biology for the beginner gardener.
Waterplants in Australia
Full Title: Waterplants in Australia: a field guide - Expanded 4th Edition
Author: G.R.Sainty and S.W.L. Jacobs
Published: 2003
Publisher: Sainty and Associates Pty Ltd
Book type: Non- Fiction
Categories: Indigenous plants, identification
Description: Arranged into 7 categories , starting with “free-floating” ending with “trees and shrubs”; - useful informative essays at the end on willows, charophytes, and stormwater management, also causes of algal blooms, water quality. A pocket sized book for taking into the field.
Photos/drawings: Most species are accompanies by a colour photo and line drawings.
Local relevance: Australia-wide
Final comments:
Weeds of the South-East
Title: Weeds of the south-east: an identification guide for Australia 2nd edition
Author: F.J.Richardson, R.G.Richardson, and R.C.H.Shepherd
Published: 2011
Publisher: R.G. and F.J.Richardson
Book type: Non- Fiction
Categories: pest plants, identification
Description: To find the weed, a key at the beginning is organised by colour of flowers, then by shape of flower, then by type of plant (climber, shrub) etc; includes bibliography
Photos/drawings: a colour photo of each plant in flower
Local relevance: Useful for Victoria and southern states
Final comments: An absolutely vital book for weed control, although rather heavy to take along on field trips; but it will /would fit in a day pack.
