For years Mary Primrose pursued her passion for wildflowers. From early spring when there was still snow on the ground through to late fall, she sought out the plants that grow in the wild. No matter whether they were common or rare, easily found or difficult to locate, Mary wanted to capture each at its flowering peak. If that meant waiting all day for just the right combination of light and bloom, she waited. If it meant revisiting the same site year after year until things were just right, she did so happily.
From her collection of thousands of colour slides, Mary carefully selected her best images for this book. There are 179 images in all, of 98 different plants. In this book, they are arranged in order of flowering season, from spring to fall.
As Mary wrote in her preface to this book, "I hope that, through this collection, I can in a small way share some of the natural beauty I have found during my many years of exploring Maritime woodlands, meadows and seashores."
Accompanying the photographs are brief notes prepared by biologist Marian Zinck. There is information to help in identifying each plant, along with suggestions of where to look for each variety.

MARY PRIMROSE was first an amateur photographer, then worked as a photographer for the Biology Department of Dalhousie University. She died of cancer after a brief illness, not long after the work on Wildflowers of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island was completed.

Mary Primrose's profile page

MARIAN ZINCK is a scientist on the staff of the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History.

Marian Zinck's profile page

"Primrose's compositions...are innovative and daring in their inattention to the conventional art-school rules... the work can double as an identification reference while claiming its rightful place on the coffee table."

Canadian Book Review Annual