“Michigan Shrubs and Vines,” long-awaited companion to “Michigan Trees” published
Burt Barnes teaching Woody Plants. Credit: School of Natural Resources and Environment
“Michigan Shrubs and Vines: A Guide to Species of the Great Lakes Region” authored by Burton V. Barnes, Christopher Dick, and Melanie Gunn, was published in September 2016. Called the essential reference for identifying shrubs and woody vines in Michigan and the Great Lakes Region, the book is receiving rave reviews.
The University of Michigan Press website describes the book: Shrubs and vines are some of the most diverse and widespread plants in the Great Lakes Region. "Michigan Shrubs and Vines" is the must-have book for anyone who wishes to identify and learn about these fascinating plants. Presented in the same attractive, easy-to-use format as the classic "Michigan Trees," the book gives detailed descriptions of 132 species, providing concise information on key characters, habitat, distribution and growth pattern. Precise line drawings accompany each species description and illustrate arrangement and characteristics of leaves, flowers and fruits in addition to stem structure to assist with reliable year-round identification. A thorough introduction covers the features and forms of shrubs and vines as well as their natural history, their role in landscape ecosystems, and their occurrence in regional ecosystems of North America and plant communities of the Great Lakes. This long awaited companion to "Michigan Trees" will appeal to botanists, ecologists, students and amateur naturalists alike.
“Both books are the product of more than 50 years of teaching Woody Plants (EEB-NRE-PitE 436),” said Dick, who took over teaching the popular U-M course 10 years ago and now co-teaches it with Inés Ibáñez, associate professor of EEB and the School of Natural Resources and Environment. “The book is Professor Burton Barnes’ last major contribution, he died in 2014.”
“For me, this is the culmination of teaching Woody Plants, learning about Michigan’s woody plant flora over the past decade, and interacting with Burt Barnes,” said Dick. “Seeing the book in print moved me because it reminded me of Burt Barnes’ dedication and vision even during his most trying times. I am excited because the book fills a major gap in the study of the Great Lakes biota. For more than a decade Woody Plants students have relied on "Shrubs of Ontario" for insights into Michigan shrubs and vines. No longer. The book dovetails perfectly with our teaching needs.”
“Michigan Trees” has been in print for over 100 years (scans of the original 1913 edition can be viewed at Hathi Trust, according to Scott Hamm of the U-M Press. Barnes, the lead author of “Michigan Shrubs and Vines,” co-authored the previous two editions of “Michigan Trees.”
Barnes was Stephen H. Spurr Professor Emeritus of Forestry in SNRE at the University of Michigan. He is best known for his love of field teaching and his research and publications in forest and landscape ecology. Dick is director of the Edwin S. George Reserve at U-M, and director and curator of the U-M Herbarium and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. Gunn is outreach coordinator at Point Reyes National Seashore in California and a former master’s student of Barnes.
A book review in The Michigan Botanist, states, “Among the many signal accomplishments of Burt Barnes’ career was the writing of “Michigan Trees,” co-authored with Warren H. “Herb” Wagner and published in 1981, followed by a revised and updated edition in 2004, long recognized as the finest guide to the trees of the Great Lakes region and beyond, and among the finest anywhere. The preface to the revised and updated edition states that “shrubs and vines will be considered in a companion volume to follow. This is that companion volume, and the 12-year wait has been worth it.”
Michigan Nature Guy’s blog says the book “should be in the library of every naturalist in Michigan.”
A special discount code good for 30 percent off the book is available through the University of Michigan Press website during October 2016. After the book has been added to the shopping cart, enter the code UMECOEVO into the box labeled "use promo code" and then push "update."
