Finding Identification Guides

When you need to identify the plants and animals in an area, you need identification guides. Eisenhower Library has some guides that you can check out. Perform a keyword search in the catalog using the word 'identification' and the group you are interested in. An example search would be birds identification.

Below are listed some of the print guides that are available in the Science Reference Collection on C Level of the library. Since these books can't be checked out, you may want to take pictures of the item you are trying to identify and bring them to the library. A few web sites are included below. Some of them aren't true 'keys' but do provide some identifying information.

Plants

Trees
Trees of the Southeastern United States
SCI REF QK125.D791
Includes a key, range maps, and color photographs.

Complete Trees of North America: Field Guide and Natural History
SCI REF QK481.E381
Has keys for each group of tress. Includes range maps and drawings.

Key to Leaves of Virginia Trees by Dr. Jeff Kirwan and James Ward
This web site is meant for a 4-H project, but is very straight-forward and may be very helpful in identifying local trees.

What Tree Is That? from the National Arbor Day Foundation
This provides an online guide to some North American trees as well as a tutorial about identifying characteristics of trees.

Grasses
Field Guide to the Grasses, Sedges, and Rudges of the United States
SCI REF QK495.G74K7181
Includes a key with pencil drawings of the plants.

Mushrooms
Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms
SCI REF QK617.L524
Has color photographs with a silhouette guide.

 Animals

Harper and Row's Complete Field Guide to North American Wildlife, Eastern Edition
SCI REF QL151.C621
Guide to mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and even fish. The color plates are separated from the descriptions.

Insects
Field Guide to the Moths of Eastern North America
SCI REF QL551.A75C681
Provides a key with illustrations.

Garden Insects of North America
SCI REF SB605.N7C73
This is not a true guide because it organizes the insects by the plants they associate with. It focuses on yard and garden insects, particularly those that injure plants.

Insect Identification Laboratory at Virginia Tech
A web site that provides identifcation information and fact sheets about many insects in our part of the country. Focuses on insects that are considered pests or damaging to plants.

Bug Identification from the Amateur Entomologists' Society
This site only identifies bugs to the Order level, but they may be very helpful.

Reptiles & Amphibians
Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America
SCI REF QL651.C65
Includes a key and photographs.

Birds
Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region
SCI REF QL681.B771
One of the oldest guide book series in the business.

All About Birds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
This web site provides information on how to indentify birds and has pictures of many of the commons species in North America.

Field Guide to the Birds
SCI REF QL681.P4
From the Peterson series of guidebooks.

Birds of North America Online  (All JHU (incl. International))