Florida's Living Beaches: A Guide for the Curious Beachcomber
Florida has 1200 miles of coastline, almost 700 miles of which are sandy beaches. Exploring along those beaches offers encounters with myriads of plants, animals, minerals, and manmade objects—all are covered in this comprehensive guide with descriptive accounts of 822 items, 983 color images, and 431 maps. Beginning with the premise that beaches are themselves alive, this guide to the natural history of Florida beaches heralds the living things and metaphorical life near, on, and within the states sandy margins. It is organized into Beach Features, Beach Animals, Beach Plants, Beach Minerals, and Hand of Man. In addition to being an identification guide, the book reveals much of the wonder and mystery between dune and sea along Florida's long coastline.
Reviews (187)
A SUPERB GUIDE TO FLORIDA'S BEACHES! BUY THIS ONE!
FIVE STARS!!!! (Though it deserves ten!) I've lived along coasts all my life. I grew up peering into the tidepools of the Pacific, looking over the edge of docks, and wandering along the West Coast's beaches from San Diego to the San Juans. I've spent the last 30 years on the Gulf Coast with visits to the southern Atlantic beaches. Beachcombing is one of my great joys, and my shelves are full of guides to flora and fauna. When the Witherington's guide arrived yesterday, I sat down with it...and by the end of the evening, I'd read it cover to cover. I'll be tucking it in my beach bag, and using it as a constant companion. It's just that good. What sets this guide apart from others is its clear organization, graphic clarity, conversational tone, and concise information-packed descriptions. If you live in Florida and love the beach, buy this book. You will learn about all the forces that shape the beach environment, from tides and weather to human incursions. AND you'll find a clearly illustrated comprehensive guide to virtually everything you could discover washed up in, on or near the sand, along the inner and outer coasts. If you've ever picked up a bit of flotsam, or stooped over a mysterious blob on the beach, and wondered, "What is this?", this guide will tell you. Dr. Witherington's background in biology zoology is apparent, as he provides fascinating insights in every entry. Ms. Witherington's design and illustrations make it a visual feast. This is the second edition. I hope the Witheringtons will continue to revise and update this gem. Perhaps future editions will tell us about the long term effects of the Deepwater Horizon spill, and give us more beach quests for Northwest Florida.
Best Book I've Bought This Year
Wow, this was the book I didn't know I needed! I grew up on the Gulf Coast and have been an amateur birder and naturalist since I was a kid. I bought this as a quick reference for shore birds. Suddenly, I found myself in a whole new world when it came to shells and other items that was ashore. It really brought them to life for me. After a recent hurricane, I went out several times a day to find new and exciting things with this book in hand. I appreciate the chord it strikes with being easy to use and fairly scientific. I love the "did you know feature" and the way items are grouped. I'm so glad I found this book!
Beachcomber must have!
As a native coastal Floridian, I grew up in awe of the sea and all of its wonder. I was hooked after my first shelling expedition at the tender age of two. Since then, my curiosity to learn about all things in, on, and near the water has been insatiable. I'm now 52 and just discovered this book and I've been so impressed with it that I sent it to my brother (also an amatuer enthusiast). This book is full of gasp-inspiring facts that I sincerely never knew. The best part is that this brilliant couple has put everything into easily readable and understandable bits, even when explaining complex things like ecosystems. They break down everything into categories, I found this helpful and convenient for referencing purposes. It helps the reader to understand where to find things, what to look for and when to look for it. The descriptions of anatomies of beaches to mollusks and everything in between is not only fascinating, but understandable. I feel like it has rekindled my passion for the sea in a way that speaks to my inner child, but as an adult living in a complicated world. And if you're the beach enthusiast that is also into beach/beach wildlife conservation, even on a small scale, then please get a copy. Entertaining (a few bits of dry humor here and there), informative and down right essential as a beachgoer in Florida. I highly, highly recommend this book!
Wow! Love this book!
This is one of the best books we have in our field guide library! Spent a month traveling in Florida with my family and we enjoyed exploring so much more because we could identify what we saw. Very well laid out with pictures and information. Covers more than just one topic (birds, shells, marine life, plants, etc). This makes it a perfect book to grab for a hike or tidal pool exploring!!
A Florida beach lover must have book!
Love this book! I live at the beach and use this book often o identify my finds. I’ve read through the book and it has helped me become a better shell finder! I buy this book as a house warming gift for any friend moving to FL who loves the beach.
Very useful guide.
This is a wonderful, easy to use, guide for beachcombers. The pictures are excellent and the organization intuitive. One minor problem: paper is not waterproof and it would take a real beating if you used it right on the shoreline. I came to using it after beachcombing with either pictures (preferred) or specimens. We visit beaches in southwest Florida primarily and almost everything we observed on the beach was in this book.
This is our beach companion!
This book is excellent! For anything on the beach that I want to identify, this is my go-to resource. The pictures and the descriptions are very well done. I typically use it for shells, but it has a variety of different topics and it's actually a fun read. I really like that it goes through the formation of the beaches and even shows the different types of sand (magnified). This book is worth every penny!
Excellent resource
I collect shells when we visit the Tampa Bay area each year. This book has been very helpful in identifying and learning about them. In addition, there is an abundance of information about other flora and fauna that you might encounter on or near the beach. Lots of pictures accompany the text. I highly recommend this book.
Great book to learn about all beach things.
This was recommended by several people who led nature talks along our Florida gulf coast beaches. I'm so glad we purchased it. Very informative and easy to find what I'm looking for. Highly recommend if you like going to the beach and learning about everything you find there. Also bought another copy as a gift.
Beautifully organized and illustrated book
This is a great reference for anyone spending time at the beach and wondering, "what was that thing I just stepped on?" Full-color pictures and illustrations make it a beautiful book to flip through. Authoritative scientific writing, but using a layman's terms.
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