Flower names?

[wildman4990]

I need a good place that can show me the flower and give me the name

of it i cant find any places like. does any one of any sites that give

you the picture and the name?

 

Thank you, Cody

[lex_jenkins]

You've encountered one of the most difficult aspects of nature photography: Subject identification.

 

For decades enthusiasts identified subjects like flowers and birds using field guides which often had lavish illustrations (and prices to match).

 

While the web has made research easier in some respects for many subjects, so far I haven't found that it's replaced printed field guides. And it still seems necessary to spend a lot of time flipping through pages because either the guides are poorly indexed or, in many cases, there's simply no practical way to index a book by description of the subject. That's an indexing technique at which computers and the web should be superior but so far I haven't found really good software or databases for identifying birds and flowers.

 

I wish I'd kept my grandmother's collection of field guides after she died. At the time I didn't think I'd have much interest in nature photography. But these are some of the most beautiful, useful and, in some cases, valuable books around.

[dan_fromm1]

Lex, the best way in is via an artificial key. Here in the northeast, we use Newcomb's Guide ..., which has a key. With practice -- one has to learn what the words mean as they're used -- one can go from the plant with flowers in hand straight to the text about it.

 

Cody, get a book. Get a heap of books. And then learn what's in them.

[stemked]

First are we talking about wild flowers or cutivars in someone's garden?

 

Cody, nothing is better than a good field guide to get you started. The books aren't all that expensive; less than $20 new and likely a third of that used in good shape. The nice thing is that many of them are specific for different parts of the country (assuming that you live in the US; Europe is generally likewise blessed with excellent references. I'd suggest going first to www.amazon.com typing in the words 'flower' and 'guide' maybe your part of the world 'Eastern' 'America' 'Midwest' 'Texas' 'California' 'Great Britain' etc. At Amazon there usually are extensive reviews of books by users 'in the know'. I started with the Peterson guides, and this is sort of the classic guide series in the US. Its only real limitation is that it might not be best for those not comfortable with drawings (rather than photograghs). Audubon guides are all flowers and are very well done.

 

Nothing beats a good book. Hard to put a computer in your pocket when you are in the field.

[bill sullivan]

For help with identifying flowers, I would recommend befriending a knowledgeable working botanist. Second best is to collect books (or brochures) for your area of interest, usually by shopping at park (state and national) bookstores and museums of natural history. Unfortunately, the while the Web can be a good source you really have to hope that what you find is reliable information.

 

I checked you out on the Web and I gather you must live in San Diego County in California. I would recommend you get in touch with the San Diego Museum of Natural History and learn about the Plant Atlas parabotanist program. See http://www.sdnhm.org/plantatlas/index.html or http://www.sdplantatlas.org. Contact Jeannie Gregory or Mary Ann Hawke. I am in this program. It's taught me a lot.

[greg s]

Besides what has been mentioned, for wildflower ID I always found it helpful to visit a place with a good nature trail. For instance, in the San Diego area is Torrey Pines State Park. I forget if it was va signs or a brochure, but there was a way to learn the most commmon species right on the trails. After I knew those plants I could more easily increase my breadth of knowledge in other similar locales because a had a foundation to work from. -Greg-

[imaginator]

After you find a source that shows some photos of a specific flower, try doing a search (google, yahoo, ect.) to see more examples. Search using the IMAGES tab. This is very helpful because books may only have one or two examples and sometimes flowers will look different depending on the location and conditions they grow in. I also like photographing fungi (mushrooms) and they can be very illusive as to there identification. Another standard technique is to take notes when photographing the flowers, listing specific features (this is where it helps to know the meanings of the parts of flowers) I have a book on wildflowers that explains these terms and also groups the flowers into families. If you are talking about cultivated flowers, there are many catalogs from companies that sell flowers and they have photos. The first step is to guess what family the flower is, then narrow it down from there. As mentined, if you are talking wildflowers, then area specific guide books are best.

[robert_potts1]

Field guides work well for birds, but they are woefully inadequate for things like flowers and insects. A good plant key is several inches thick with no photos and crammed full of technical terms that you need to be a working botanist to comprehend. This key will be limited to a region or state in most cases. Field guides will be helpful for some obvious unique things, but you you will soon get past that point.

[alastairjamieson]

I work as an ecologist in New Zealand and over the years have really found that people are the best source of learning when you're starting out in plant identification. Even with a good illustrated guide in hand, someone to help interpret it makes identification much simpler.

 

Depending on what's available in your area, good people to start with might include members of a local botanical society, park ranger staff, 'friends of a local park' group, public garden staff, museum staff or university researchers.

 

Good luck!

 

Alastair

[wildman4990]

thanks everyone for your helpfull advise

 

Cody

[sean de merchant httpw]

<p>Generally, a good book is the right start for the easier species. Just make sure you get a local and not a regional book. I use <b>Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alaska (Paperback) by Pojar &MacKinnon</b>. My book strikes (same or related species) the target 95% or more of the time unless it is in someones garden. </p>

 

<p>If you are familiar with Usenet, you might post a small image in <a href="news://alt.binaries.pictures.gardens">alt.binaries.pictures.gardens</a> and ask (yes, there are Usenet binary groups without porn or pirated material ;o). This falls back on using people. Or you might try some of the text only groups and post a link to the image on your/a website.</p>

 

<p>Or visit a used book store or your library and get a good textbook on botany and then download a botanical key off the net.</p>

 

<p>hope this helps,</p>

 

<p>Sean</p>