You'll find them throughout the year in Houston--lyre-leaf sage, Drummond skullcap, silver-leaf nightshade, snow-on-the-prairie, lemon beebalm, scarlet pimpernel, plains wild indigo, spring ladies'-tresses, deer pea vetch.

These wildflowers and hundreds of other species flourish in this part of Texas, but until this book was published in 1993 no guide had focused exclusively on the Houston area. John and Gloria Tveten spent years seeking out both the common and the rare flowers. They describe here more than 200 plants. A color photograph of each one will make identification...

For nearly a quarter of a century, John and Gloria Tveten wrote a weekly column, called "Nature Trails," for the "Houston Chronicle." Wide ranging in both subject matter and geography, their writings reflected a rewarding life of travel, study, and observation in nature, including many memorable encounters with birds. Through the Tvetens' engaging accounts, readers travel vicariously to canoe a Minnesota lake alongside common loons, experience the rare thrill of sighting a snowy owl on a boat dock in Louisiana, count a record number of birds on the Texas coast, or spot tropical tanagers in a...

Polar bears in the high Arctic. Butterflies on Mexico's mountains. Gray whales in Baja California. Golden toads in Costa Rica. Parrots in the West Indies. Albatrosses off the Olympic Peninsula.
Whether on their own or as tour leaders for the Smithsonian Institution and other organizations, John and Gloria Tveten have encountered the world's wildlife with an unfailing appreciation not only for animals of all kinds but also for the places those animals call home. For more than two decades, from some of the most beautiful and fascinating locations in the Western Hemisphere, the Tvetens...

With John and Gloria Tveten as your guides, even a walk across an empty lot can turn into a memorable lesson in the abundance of life.

For more than two decades, the Tvetens' weekly "Nature Trails" column in the Houston Chronicle introduced readers to the miracles of nature that surround them every day. Nature at Your Doorstep gathers in one volume some of the best of these columns, revealing the bounty of plants and animals available within the familiar surroundings of home and region. With updated commentaries and original drawings, the Tvetens open our eyes to the plants...