The Flower Hunter: William Bartram, America's First Naturalist

Rooted in history, The Flower Hunter: William Bartram, America's First Naturalist by Deborah Kogan Ray offers a diary-style account of young William Bartram's (1739-1823) studies of nature, including his travels with his botanist father, John (1699-1777). The author highlights certain episodes during a nearly 30-year period as the pair traversed the Southeast, discovering and identifying numerous botanical species along the way. Maps, paintings that depict the father-son adventures, and a reproduction of one of William Bartram's illustrations (plus additional plants identified by the pair, depicted at book's end) round out this compelling account.