Nancy Ross Hugo and photographer Robert Llewellyn have put together a tree book unlike any other, meant to teach us not simply to identify a tree and move on, but to discover natural, cyclical phenomena such as the blooming of the sassafras or the acorns plumping out. Trees are wild beings, every bit as worthy of close observation as birds. These miracles of nature do not readily yield their secrets, but careful observation will reap bountiful aesthetic and environmental rewards.
Llewelyn, an inspired and creative photographer, has shot incredibly sharp images, using a white background to emphasize details such as the intricacy of the pinecone or the unfurling of a beech leaf and marvel at nature's wise adaptations. Seeing Trees is a perfect book for naturalists, environmentalists or anyone who has ever taken a walk and looked around. --Valerie Ryan, Cannon Beach Book Company, Ore.