Following publication of his encyclopedic classic, Wild Flowers of the Pacific Northwest, the late Lewis Clark broke his massive masterwork down into six compact and affordable field guides organized by habitat. Collectively, they sold over 200,000 copies.

Thoroughly redesigned and updated under the direction of Clark's collaborator John Trelawny, this new edition revives one of the most popular guides in the series. Wild Flowers of the Sea Coast offers descriptions, diagrams and surprisingly large colour photos of almost 100 flowering plants of the coastal region stretching from northern California to southern Alaska. Combining scholarly rigour with a conversational prose style, this easy-to-use guide will appeal to experienced botanists and afternoon strollers alike.

Dr. Lewis Clark (1907-1974) was head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Victoria and held degrees from the University of British Columbia, the University of Washington, and Oregon State University. A renowned scholar, he became one of the leading naturalists and nature photographers of his day. His Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest is a Pacific-Northwest classic.

Lewis J. Clark's profile page

John Guy Trelawny was born in Roorkee, India in 1919 and enthusiastically pursued adventure throughout his life. Raised in Devon, the Isle of Jura, Scotland and Phillimore Gardens, London, educated at Bradfield School and Sandhurst College, John served with the British Eighth Army in the Second World War in Iraq, leading Assyrian levy troops, before entering the Italian campaign where he was seriously wounded and spent two years as a prisoner of war. Never one to avoid a challenge, he assumed many roles throughout his life including Master of the Hounds, Sandhurst; Captain in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry; farm hand at Oyster River; bulb farmer at Cobble Hill; lighthouse keeper at Race Rocks; author; botanist; tour guide and gardener. John was an instructor in the Faculty of Biology at the University of Victoria for 18 years where he thrived on sharing his life-long love of plants. It was there he met Lewis Clark, whose great work, Wildflowers of British Columbia (revised as Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest,) he edited after Clark's death. He authored Wildflowers of the Yukon and Alaska and spent his later years working on a history of the Assyrian people. In retirement he developed, with his wife Ruth, his garden at Deep Cove. John was happiest showing friends and visitors his beautiful and ever-expanding garden, which featured rare rhododendrons from many parts of the world. He also enjoyed participating in the development of the Finnerty Gardens at the University of Victoria and his commitment to learning culminated in the award of an honorary doctorate from the University of Victoria in. He died on Dec. 1, 2006 and is buried in Deep Cove, Sidney, BC.

John G. Trelawny's profile page

"...You can quickly study the nearly full - page illustrations, scan the descriptions and then astound all around you by pointing our the scarlet pimpernel and commenting that it's an exotic, introduced from Europe and found in open places on the southwest coast."
-Cherie Thiessen, Marine Life Magazine

Marine Life Magazine

"An updated edition of Clark's 1974 field guide to coastal wild flowers - light enough to carry with you, with crisp color photographs of the plants in bloom."
-Micheal Upchurch, Seattle Times

Seattle Times

"...The The Wildflowers of the Sea Coast volume covers the Pacific Coast shoreline habitats from northern California to southeastern Alaska, including sand dunes and beaches, spray zone rocks and cliffs, coastal bluffs and coastal edge forests...The text is concise yet informative. The illustrated glossary remains for those of us who need to be reminded what 'pinnately compound' means...This remains as excellent guide for a beach or coastal walk or hike, canoe or kayak trip, or even just a lazy Sunday at the beach."
-Bill Kinkaid, BC Naturalist

BC Naturalist