By Mary and Carl Hensley

The approaching holidays bring the often-challenging seasonal question: What to give those on your gift list, especially youngsters? Is there something special that might surprise and delight and perhaps add adventure and learning? Could it be something they might not already have? 

Whether you are thinking of gifts for holidays, birthdays or other occasions, our suggestion is to consider the wide array of wonderful field guides, nature books, and items for enjoying nature hikes.

One of our family traditions has been taking nature hikes together. These outings can be anywhere: exploring the backyard or the neighborhood, visiting an arboretum or local park, or hiking in a state or national park. We discovered that even our grandchildren were delighted with field guides. Having resources to look up and identify flowers, birds, butterflies, mammals, animal tracks, trees, or constellations and to learn more about whatever we discover adds lots of fun and joy to these memorable times and shared experiences.

Some of the field guides we have given the younger members of the family include:  “A Child’s Introduction to the Night Sky, with Star Wheel Guide” by Michael Driscoll; “Butterflies: Peterson Field Guides for Young Naturalists” by Jonathan P. Latimer and Karen Stray Nolting; “Animal Tracks of the Midwest Field Guide” by Jonathan Poppele (and playing cards based on this book); and the “Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of the Midwest.”

A field guide or other resource can be selected to focus on a particular state or region, such as Iowa or the Midwest; or it can focus on the flora/fauna of a specific ecological area such as prairies or forests; or it can focus on a specific national park or state preserve. You will likely find something of interest for naturalists, gardeners, and outdoor enthusiasts of any age or experience. And many of these guides are designed to easily carry on an outing.

A few examples from our bookshelf include: the Iowa DOT’s “Guide to Common Trees & Shrubs of Iowa”; “Mountain Flowers of the Cascades and Olympics” by Harvey Manning; Lone Pine’s “Wildflowers of Mount Rainier” by Laird R. Blackwell; the Falcon Field Guide “Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers” by Doug Ladd; the “Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America” by by Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman; the National Audubon Society’s “Field Guide to North American Wildflowers “; “Western Region Birds of Iowa Field Guide” by Stan Tekiela; National Geographic Kids’ “Ultimate Explorer Field Guide – Insects” by Libby Romero; and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s “Weed Identification Field Guide.”

We had the helpful Mount Rainier wildflower guides with us on a recent hiking vacation. Everyone in our family enjoys identifying and also learning both the common and the scientific names of the flowers we see there. Beargrass? Yes, also known as Xerophyllum tenax. Nature hikes in any location are often more fun, especially for younger children, if you have hiking gear for exploration – such as flashlights, magnifying glasses, binoculars, a compass, and nature/bug jars with magnified lids. 

Books featuring nature topics can also be enjoyed with children, whether at home or away. There are many such books, so we will just mention a special favorite of ours: “Owls in the Family” by Farley Mowat. A Canadian writer and environmentalist, Mowat recounts hilarious experiences with two horned owls, Wol and Weeps, during his childhood adventures in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

We hope that these will be useful gift ideas – field guides, nature hike gear, and books about nature – and that any you select will lead to wonderful and memorable shared experiences.

_{A selection of field guides from the Hensley family bookshelves.}

A selection of field guides for our young family members:

• “A Child’s Introduction to the Night Sky, with
• Star Wheel Guide” by Michael Driscoll.
• “Butterflies: Peterson Field Guides for Young
  Naturalists” by Jonathan P. Latimer and Karen
  Stray Nolting .
• “Animal Tracks of the Midwest Field Guide” by
  Jonathan Poppele (and playing cards based on
  this book).
• “Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of the
  Midwest.”

A sampling of our regional and topical field guides:

• Iowa DOT’s “Guide to Common Trees & Shrubs
• of Iowa.”
• “Mountain Flowers of the Cascades and
  Olympics” by Harvey Manning.
• Lone Pine’s “Wildflowers of Mount Rainier” by
  Laird R. Blackwell.
• The Falcon Field Guide “Tallgrass Prairie
  Wildflowers” by Doug Ladd.
• The “Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of
  North America” by Jim P. Brock and Kenn
  Kaufman.
• “National Audubon Society Field Guide to North
  American Wildflowers, Western Region”
• “Birds of Iowa Field Guide” by Stan Tekiela.
• National Geographic Kids’ “Ultimate Explorer
  Field Guide – Insects” by Libby Romero.
• Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s
  “Weed Identification Field Guide.”