Roland H Wauer

While many growers focus on attracting adult butterflies to their gardens, fewer know about the plants that caterpillars need to survive. Native host plants—wildflowers, trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and sedges—not only provide a site for the butterfly to lay its eggs, they also provide a ready food source for the emerging caterpillar. Think of these plants as the nurseries of the garden. This user-friendly, heavily illustrated field guide describes 101 native larval host plants in Texas. Each species account includes descriptive information on each plant, a distribution map, and photos of both the caterpillars and adult butterflies who frequent those plants.An adult butterfly may nectar on a wide variety of flowers, but caterpillars are much more restricted in their food sources. Some feed on only a limited number of plant species, so female butterflies seek out these specific plants to lay their eggs. For example, the host plants for Monarch caterpillars are various species of milkweed. Often, these plants are not the same as the ones the adult butterfly will later use for nectar.Learning more about the plants caterpillars need is crucial for butterfly conservation. Butterflies' dependency on specific caterpillar host plants is one of the key factors restricting their range and distribution. Armed with this knowledge, readers can also hone their ability to find specific species of breeding butterflies in nature. This is a handy guide whether you are in the field searching for butterflies or on the hunt for butterfly-friendly options at your local plant sale.

Some of My Favorite Things reflect my many years of birding. As a hobby, an obsession, birds have dominated a substantial part of my life. To support my birding activities, I have been fortunate to have worked/lived in several national park areas and/or National Park Service offices. In succeeding order, they included Crater Lake in Oregon, Pinnacles and Death Valley in California, Zion in Utah, Big Bend in Texas, Santa Fe in New Mexico, Washington D.C., and Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina. Most of the birds included in Some of My Favorite Things, is the result of those diverse opportunities. Some of My Favorite Things includes a grand total of 90 species, 84 of which are photographs. Additional photographs are included to illustrate perinate habitats and/or characteristics.

Raptors include 42 species of hawks, eagles, kites, falcons, and owls. All illustrations are in full color. Habitat preferences, life stories, and personalities are included. Many are commonspecies that can be found most days, such as red-tailed hawks and great horned owls, but others are more secretive species such as hooked-billed kites and elf owls. Several are magnificent creatures such as bald and golden eagles, swallow-tailed kites, and ospreys. A few can be found only in special habitats in various areas of the country. Examples include Harris's and zone-tailed hawks, spotted and snowy owls, and great gray owls

Songbirds of the West includes more than four dozen songbirds that occur within the western United States. The majority are found in America's western National Parks, especially in parks where the author worked for more than a quarter of a century. Big Bend National Park is where he encountered Black-capped and Gray Vireos, Vermilion Flycatchers, Curve-billed and Crissal Thrashers, Hepatic and Summer Tanagers, and Black-vented, Hooded and Scott's Orioles. Black-billed Magpies were encountered at Great Sand Dunes, Clark's Nutcrackers at Crater Lake, Cave Swallows at Carlsbad Caverns, Cactus Wrens at Saguaro, Phainopeplas at Organ Pipe, Steller's and Gray Jays at Yellowstone, Black-throated Gray Warblers at Mesa Verde, Townsend's Solitaires at Timpanogos Cave, and Canyon and Rock Wrens at Zion. Great Kiskadees, Green Jays, and Altamira Orioles were encountered in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The discussion of each bird is based on the author's personal encounters. These range from casual observations to scientific studies that were undertaken in both the U.S. and Mexico; still others involved visits to the West Indies. The bird's life history, behavior, and status are included.

Mountainous West, Denali to Pico de Orizaba includes the author's personal experiences within many of North America's highest mountains. They include Alaska's Denali; Rocky Mountain's Mount Revelstoke, The Whistlers, and the Grand Tetons; Cascade's magnificent Mount Rainier, Lassen, and Shasta; Death Valley's Panamint Mountains; Sky Islands include the Chiricahua, Santa Rita, and Chisos mountains; and also, Mexico's Pico de Orizaba, Volcan Fuego, and the Sierra Madre Chiapas.A number of wildlife encounters are included as well: Lynx at Denali; Bison at Yellowstone; Osprey and Moose at Grand Teton; White-tailed Ptarmigan at Rocky Mountain; Mexican Jay in the Santa Ritas, Montezuma Quail in the Davis Mountains, and Peregrine Falcon in Mexico's Maderas del Carmen.

Some of My Favorite Things reflect my many years of birding. As a hobby, an obsession, birds have dominated a substantial part of my life. To support my birding activities, I have been fortunate to have worked/lived in several national park areas and/or National Park Service offices. In succeeding order, they included Crater Lake in Oregon, Pinnacles and Death Valley in California, Zion in Utah, Big Bend in Texas, Santa Fe in New Mexico, Washington D.C., and Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina. Most of the birds included in Some of My Favorite Things, is the result of those diverse opportunities. Some of My Favorite Things includes a grand total of 90 species, 84 of which are photographs. Additional photographs are included to illustrate perinate habitats and/or characteristics.

The author retired from the National Park Service after a 32-year career as a park ranger, biologist, and administrator. He worked in seven national parks: Crater Lake, Death Valley, Pinnacles, Zion, Big Bend, Great Smoky Mountains, and the Virgin Islands. He also served as Southwest Region Chief Scientist in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and as Chief of Resource Management and Chief Scientist for the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. Since retirement, he has authored 31 books on the National Parks and wildlife, and two novels: Natural Inclinations, One Man's Adventures in the Natural World, and Ruins to Ruins, From the Mayan Jungle to the Aztec Metropolis. Ro lives in Bryan, Texas.

Ruins to Ruins, partly autobiographical, is a story of Robert, a young naturalist, and Johnathan, a budding archeologist, who travel to southern Mexico to visit the ancient Mayan ruins. As they travel from ruins to ruins, they learn about the ruins and also encounter a variety of natural wonders: army ants and howler monkeys at Chichen Itza, orange breasted falcon at Tikal, and king vultures Yaxchilan. Their journey takes them to many significant ruins, from Chichen Itza to Uxmal, Mayapan, Coba and Tulum, Calakmul, Tikal, Bonampak, Palenque, Monte Alban, Quiahiztlan, and Tenochtitlan. Along their route, they visit Catemaco and the Sierra de Tuxtla, climb Popocatepetl, join a marriage ceremony at Tula, and visit the amazing National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. They also encounter many folks along the way; Senior Aguilar and family at Valladolid; Maya, a Mexico historian at Tula de Allende; and Katrina, who becomes their guide to Tenochtitlan. At Tikal, Robert meets Carol, the love of his life and who eventually becomes his wife.

Ruins to Ruins, partly autobiographical, is a story of Robert, a young naturalist, and Johnathan, a budding archeologist, who travel to southern Mexico to visit the ancient Mayan ruins. As they travel from ruins to ruins, they learn about the ruins and also encounter a variety of natural wonders: army ants and howler monkeys at Chichen Itza, orange breasted falcon at Tikal, and king vultures Yaxchilan. Their journey takes them to many significant ruins, from Chichen Itza to Uxmal, Mayapan, Coba and Tulum, Calakmul, Tikal, Bonampak, Palenque, Monte Alban, Quiahiztlan, and Tenochtitlan. Along their route, they visit Catemaco and the Sierra de Tuxtla, climb Popocatepetl, join a marriage ceremony at Tula, and visit the amazing National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. They also encounter many folks along the way; Senior Aguilar and family at Valladolid; Maya, a Mexico historian at Tula de Allende; and Katrina, who becomes their guide to Tenochtitlan. At Tikal, Robert meets Carol, the love of his life and who eventually becomes his wife.

Mountainous West, Denali to Pico de Orizaba includes the author's personal experiences within many of North America's highest mountains. They include Alaska's Denali; Rocky Mountain's Mount Revelstoke, The Whistlers, and the Grand Tetons; Cascade's magnificent Mount Rainier, Lassen, and Shasta; Death Valley's Panamint Mountains; Sky Islands include the Chiricahua, Santa Rita, and Chisos mountains; and also, Mexico's Pico de Orizaba, Volcan Fuego, and the Sierra Madre Chiapas. A number of wildlife encounters are included as well: Lynx at Denali; Bison at Yellowstone; Osprey and Moose at Grand Teton; White-tailed Ptarmigan at Rocky Mountain; Mexican Jay in the Santa Ritas, Montezuma Quail in the Davis Mountains, and Peregrine Falcon in Mexico's Maderas del Carmen.

Songbirds of the West includes more than four dozen songbirds that occur within the western United States. The majority are found in America's western National Parks, especially in parks where the author worked for more than a quarter of a century. Big Bend National Park is where he encountered Black-capped and Gray Vireos, Vermilion Flycatchers, Curve-billed and Crissal Thrashers, Hepatic and Summer Tanagers, and Black-vented, Hooded and Scott's Orioles. Black-billed Magpies were encountered at Great Sand Dunes, Clark's Nutcrackers at Crater Lake, Cave Swallows at Carlsbad Caverns, Cactus Wrens at Saguaro, Phainopeplas at Organ Pipe, Steller's and Gray Jays at Yellowstone, Black-throated Gray Warblers at Mesa Verde, Townsend's Solitaires at Timpanogos Cave, and Canyon and Rock Wrens at Zion. Great Kiskadees, Green Jays, and Altamira Orioles were encountered in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The discussion of each bird is based on the author's personal encounters. These range from casual observations to scientific studies that were undertaken in both the U.S. and Mexico; still others involved visits to the West Indies. The bird's life history, behavior, and status are included.

The subtitle to Ruins to Ruins, From the Mayan Jungle to the Aztec Metropolis, defines the extent of the sites visited by Robert, a young naturalist, and Johnathan, a budding archeologist. A third subtitle might be Finding Wildlife at the Ancient Ruins. Examples include army ants and howler monkeys at Chich n Itza, orange-breasted falcon at Tikal, and king vulture at Yaxchilan. Their journey took them to numerous significant ruins, from Chich n Itza to Uxmal, Mayapan, Coba and Tulum, Calakmul, Tikal, Bonampak, Palenque, Monte Alban, Quiahiztlan, and Tenochtitlan. Along their route, they visited Catemaco and the Sierra de Tuxtla, climbed Popocatepetl, joined a marriage ceremony at Tula, and visited the amazing National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. They also encountered many folks along the way: Senior Aguilar and family at Valladolid; Maya, a Mexico historian at Tula de Allende; and Katrina, who becomes their guide to Tenochtitlan. At Tikal, Robert met Carol, the love of his life and who eventually became his wife.

Borderland Birds includes almost 100 birds that I have encountered along the southern border from Arizona to the Gulf. Many are "specialty birds, species that cannot be found elsewhere in the U.S. Examples include chachalaca, red-billed pigeon, hook-billed kite, aplomado falcon, ferruginous pygmy-owl, elegant trogon, blue-throated and lucifer hummingbirds, Mexican and green jays, Audubon's and Altamira orioles, pyrrhuloxia, varied bunting, and Colima and rufous-capped warblers. All of the birds are illustrated with photographs by Greg Lasley, Kelly Bryan, Bob Behrstock, and Martin Reid.

Natural Inclinations follows the adventures of Greg Steward from his youth in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands to New York City and his employment at the American Museum of Natural History where he becomes a member of a scientific expedition to Panama. That experience confirms his love for adventure and desire for more new and exotic places and wildlife. He then joins other scientific expeditions to such distant places as the Galapagos, Easter Island, the Societies, and the Marquesas Islands.On Greg's return to the Virgin Islands, he realizes that adventure is in his blood and he soon joins another expedition to see new places and peoples. His additional adventures include a severe storm at sea and even more wonders around the world.He eventually returned home to the Virgin Islands where he is offered a job to study wildlife and write about those species. He also writes the Conservation Plan for the US. Virgin Islands. But few of his efforts are appreciated by government. After 22 years working for the Virgin Islands Government, he retires with his wife, Betty, to a place on St. Croix he has long loved.