America's Prairies and Grasslands: Guide to Plants and Animals (America's Ecosystems)

Discover the remarkable biodiversity of North America's prairie and grassland ecosystems with this comprehensive, beautifully illustrated field guide. America's Prairies and Grasslands takes readers on an exploration of six distinct grassland regions―tallgrass prairie, mixed-grass prairie, shortgrass prairie, Palouse prairie, California Valley grassland, and semidesert grassland―revealing how each unique environment sustains different communities of plants and animals adapted to these vast, open landscapes.

Through stunning watercolor-and-ink illustrations and accessible text, natural science illustrator and writer Marianne Wallace brings grassland life into vivid detail. Each prairie region is introduced with location maps and two-page spreads showcasing the remarkable variety of wildlife found there, from pronghorn and black-tailed prairie dogs to big bluestem, prickly pear cactus, meadowlarks, and colorful wildflowers. The book highlights what you might catch your eye along roadsides and open areas, demonstrating the incredible diversity within North American prairie and grassland ecosystems.

Marianne Wallace is a nature writer and illustrator who has also worked as an elementary school science teacher, a writer for the US Forest Service, a veterinarian's assistant, and a tour guide at a botanic garden. In her backyard at the base of mountains near Los Angeles, she has witnessed a bear asleep in the oak tree, deer eating fallen apples, a hawk using the birdbath, and squirrels fighting over who gets the most acorns. No wonder she writes about nature. She has a pet tarantula named Tilly.