The Album of Plant Families: An Illustrated Exploration of Nature's Beauty and Bounty, hardcover, signed copy

"The Album of Plant Families: An Illustrated Exploration of Nature's Beauty and Bounty" is a spectacular poster-sized book that illustrates the family connections between the plants around us, deepening our appreciation of nature. Much like our own family, plant families share characteristics, often in the arrangement of their flowers, leaves, and stems. In this oversized book, acclaimed botanical artist Wendy Hollender depicts twenty-four plant families most commonly encountered in the garden and in the wild. Her superb full-page illustrations, featuring subjects rendered from life in color pencil and watercolor, help us visualize the sometimes surprising connections between different plants―for example, between the zinnia, the dandelion, and romaine lettuce, all members of the sunflower family, Asteraceae. For each family, Hollender’s lively writings aided by additional illustrations highlight the similarities between family members, and describe her adventures in collecting the subjects (from her backyard garden to the Hawaiian wilderness). Guest essays from a variety of distinguished contributors―including Marta McDowell, the best-selling garden writer; Susan Pell, executive director of the US Botanic Garden; and Dina Falconi, the well-known clinical herbalist―lend fascinating perspectives on the featured plant families. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Wendy Hollender is a botanical artist, illustrator, author, and instructor. Hollender’s illustrations have been published in The New York Times, “O,” The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Sunset Magazine, he Observer (UK) as well as a large advertising campaign for the National Peanut Board. Her work was included in the 13th International Exhibition at Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, and in exhibitions at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, and the Smithsonian National Museum for Natural History. The US Botanic Garden had a show of Wendy's work on roots called Illustrating Hidden Treasures in the fall of 2015. She is the author of "The Joy of Botanical Drawing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing and Painting Flowers, Leaves, Fruit, and More", "Botanical Drawing In Color: A Basic Guide To Mastering Realistic Form And Naturalistic Color", "The Practice Of Botanical Drawing", and "Botanical Drawing, A Beginner's Guide". She collaborated on a book written by Dina Falconi and illustrated by Wendy called "Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook" which has won two gold medals to date. Wendy is a past Wild Wonder Conference presenter!