Field guides are windows into the natural world that aim to help us identify the plants and animals around us.  But do you sometimes feel like you need an instruction manual for the field guide?  This program is designed to help you better understand what to expect from these valuable resources and how to get the most out of them.  Some of the topics covered will include:

- Family, genus and species: tackling taxonomy

- Getting to know terminology (or “Why the glossary is your friend.”)

- The importance of the introduction

- Why pictures are only part of the story

- Discussion of the limitations of field guides

- A side note about “keys.”

Heather Aubke is an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist who is an avid birder, but she also enjoys learning about wildflowers, butterflies, moths, and spiders – and she refers to field guides for all of these topics with great frequency.