A Californian's Guide to the Trees among Us

We bring the strength and beauty of the natural world into our urban landscapes by planting trees, and California is blessed with a rich horticultural history, visible in an abundance of cultivated trees that enrich our lives with extraordinary color, bizarre shapes, unusual textures, and unexpected aromas. A Californian's Guide to the Trees among Us features over 150 of California's most commonly grown trees. Whether native or cultivated, these are the trees that muffle noise, create wildlife habitats, mitigate pollution, conserve energy, and make urban living healthier and more peaceful. Used as a field guide or read with pleasure for the liveliness of the prose, this book will allow readers to learn the stories behind the trees that shade our parks, grace our yards, and line our streets. Rich in photographs and illustrations, overflowing with anecdote and information, A Californian's Guide to the Trees among Us opens our eyes to a world of beauty just outside our front doors.

Matt Ritter grew up in rural Mendocino County, California. He attended UC Santa Barbara to earn a bachelor's degree in microbiology and UC San Diego for a Ph.D. in plant biology. He's a botany professor in the biology department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He's authored numerous scientific papers and a natural history guide to San Luis Obispo's native plants. He's also the author of A Californian's Guide to the Trees among Us (Heyday, 2011), the state's funniest and most popular natural history guide to the urban forest. He won the Cal Poly Excellence in Teaching Award and the Western Chapter International Society of Arboriculture R. W. Harris Award for Excellence in Education. He studies trees that escape cultivation, particularly Eucalyptus, and is a woodworker, athlete, musician, gardener, and all-around likable guy.