Book Review written by Nick Koenig
By Dan Dourson and Judy Dourson
With Important Contributions by Halard Lescinsky (Geology), Adam Rollins (Myxomycetes-Slime Molds), Alan Cornette (Cultural History), Tara Littlefield (Plant Life of Red River Watershed), Julian Campbell (Species List)
Illustrations by Elijah Hicks unless otherwise stated
Photographs by Dan Dourson unless otherwise stated
Published by South Limestone Books (an Imprint of the University Press of Kentucky), Lexington, 2019
Dan and Judy Dourson are avid botanists and naturalists, as well as active participants in the Kentucky Native Plant Society’s Annual Wildflower Weekend. In 2019, Dan and Judy co-authored a book that gives a reader an extensive snapshot into the plant life of the Gorge.
Wildflowers and Ferns of Red River Gorge and the Greater Red River Basin is an enjoyable book to throw in one’s hiking pack or place on a coffee table for perusing through after a day full of botanizing. Dourson and Dourson elude early on the purpose of their book — among many purposes — is to highlight this “lesser-majority” of organisms that may not be as eye-catching as eagles, but are often the overlooked yet the speciose majority of living things in the forest. While most of the book highlights the plant life, a prehistoric and cultural history lesson of the Gorge is first given, followed by an in-depth geological and biological background of the area.
The bulk of the book consists of pictures and drawings of the plant life in the gorge with a short description of the species following. The plants are broken down by taxonomic groups starting with the non-flowering organisms transitioning to the Fern and Fern Allies that have accompanying illustrations by Elijah Hicks that complement the pictures greatly.
The next part of the book makes it a great help if one is hiking in the Gorge and finds an unknown flower. Before the flowering plants is a color flower chart with the flowering time of the year, which can help narrow down the search to just a small chunk of pages to flip through. This makes locating the species much easier and more approachable than a traditional dichotomous key. The book ends with a glossary and an extensive species list.
Wildflowers and Ferns of Red River Gorge and the Greater Red River Basin is a wonderful addition to one’s botanical library especially for a naturalist looking for a deep understanding of the life forms in one of Kentucky’s most treasured natural areas.
Nick Koenig