Recommended Reading

“On hikes, people ask me to share recommended nature books for further reading about wildflowers, native plants, birds, insects, geology, mammals and the natural habitat that you’ll find in Boulder, Colorado and along the Front Range. Here’s a list of books that you can order online and/or purchase in person at Boulder bookstore on Pearl Street. Shop local!”

- Dave Sutherland

Historical Reports

Author: Cailyn Plantico (2008)

The Blue Line Amendment and Enchanted Mesa Purchase:

Setting the Stage for Boulder’s Open Space Program

Field Guides

Author: Roger Tory Peterson

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North America, Fifth Edition (Peterson Field Guides)

Editors: John L. Dunn, Jonathan Alderfer

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America

Author: Stan Tekiela

Birds of Colorado Field Guide Paperback

Author: Janet R. Chu

Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range: A Photographic Guide

Author: Ann Cooper

Dragonflies of the Colorado Front Range: A Photographic Guide

Author: Erin Tripp

Field Guide to the Lichens of White Rocks

Authors: Ruth Carol Cushman & Steve Jones

Wild Boulder County: A Seasonal Guide to the Natural World

Author: Jonathan Weiner

The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time

Author: Steve Jones

Darwin's Ghost: The Origin of Species Updated

Author: Kirk Johnson / Denver Museum of Nature & Science

*Ancient Denvers: Scenes from the Past 300 Million Years of the Colorado Front Range

*Not available at Boulder Bookstore

Author: G. K. Guennel

*Guide to Colorado Wildflowers. Vol 1. Plains and Foothills, Vol 2 Mountains

*OUT OF PRINT. Not available at Boulder Book Store


Naturalist's Bookshelf

Author: Bill Bryson

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Author: Ed Yong

I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life

Author: Heather N. Holm

*Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants

*Not available at Boulder Bookstore

Author: Dan Flores

The Natural West


Dave Sutherland, with a hiking group on the Bobolink trail, Boulder, Colorado

Dave Sutherland, with a hiking group on the Bobolink trail, Boulder, Colorado