Every ID book should be field tested in order to determine its usefulness as an exploration companion. With that in mind, I tucked these three new ID books from Harbour Publishing away in my pack and headed out on an adventure with them.
The easiest and most accessible guide to test by far was Bridgette Clarkston’s A Field Guide to Seaweeds of the Pacific Northwest.
This laminated, accordion-style pamphlet describes over 40 of the most important and common seaweeds. I was able to ID with near-certainty all of the seaweeds I found. However, I am more accustomed to ID books that have heft to them and, therefore, far more information. So without a checklist of anatomical identifiers it felt a little bit like guessing.
There were a few species of seaweed that were very easy to identify and the guide mentioned the edibility of a few, so I tried them. (Seaweed seems to be more about the texture than the flavour.)
This is a very easy pamphlet to use, as the photographs are fantastic and it’s organized in a user-friendly fashion.
What I found quite disappointing was that this is advertised as waterproof, as a guide intended for seaweed should be, but the edges of the pamphlet are not: mine got a bit of water damage around the edges.
Otherwise, this is a fantastic, fun, and easy to use ID book that’s lightweight and relatively durable. I found the information involving the harvest and preparation of edible seaweeds particularly interesting. I’d definitely recommend taking this on your next tide pool adventure; I will be.
I had bought, in preparation for testing out A Field Guide to Common Fishes of the Pacific Northwest (by Andy Lamb, Bernard Hanby, and Phil Edgell), a net and a basin in which to identify the critters.
I didn’t have as much luck when it came to identifying fish as I did with seaweed. My dollar-store net and slow human speed were not up to the task of catching spry little fishes.
So, unfortunately, I was only able to catch a few sculpins, and they could have been any four of the 10 species listed. I had trouble identifying with certainty because there is only a simple description of each fish.
Despite that, it was an enjoyable identification guide to read through, as it includes interesting facts on the many fish. For example, according to the book, “Chum Salmon are alternately called ‘dog salmon’ due to historical First Nations use as food for their canines as well as for themselves.”
Also, I laughed out loud at the very vivid, yet accurate, description of a spotted ratfish: “Limp and grotesque out of water; graceful, with a metallic shimmer in its element.”
This would be a good guide to keep around for anyone who spends significant time at the tide pools or for a new fisher or diver. Just don’t submerge it in the water! It has the same glossy finish to repel water as the seaweed guide but the same problem of unprotected edges.
A Field Guide to Foraging for Wild Greens and Flowers by Michelle Catherine Nelson was a pleasant surprise. I own many plant-identifying books but none of them have ever inspired me to get out and forage like this one. I recognized many common plants and had no idea that half of them were edible.
There is a lot of information in this pamphlet and the most important page is the very first one, which I can see many people skimming over. This page covers the general warnings about moderation in consumption, where to avoid collection, and what plants to most definitely stay away from.
My favourite bits of information in this guide are the “taste” and “eating” sections for each plant. These detail what kind of flavour the plant would bring to a meal and how best to prepare them. It reads more like a cookbook than an ID book.
I did do a bit of foraging and found some plants, but everything was looking a little crispy in the late summer sun, so I didn’t get to create a salad like the one on the cover.
I was also pleasantly surprised to find a ruler printed onto the back of the guide. So smart!