Even the most confident naturalists need some help identifying plants, animals, and fungi from time to time. That is why we compiled this list of helpful resources. Whether you want to learn how to recognize Vermont bee species or differentiate between grasses, we are sure that there is a resource waiting to assist you.
Can’t find a resource on the topic you’re curious about? Don’t see your favorite guide on our list? Then please send us an email! We are always looking for new suggestions.
Birds
- All About Birds – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Birds’ Nests: A Field Guide by Richard Headstrom
- Merlin Bird ID
- Sibley Guides and Apps
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – The Feather Atlas
- The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds of Vermont
Botany
General
- GoBotany
- New Flora of Vermont by Arthur Gilman
- Wetland, Woodland, Wildland by Elizabeth Thompson, Eric Sorenson and Robert Zaino
Trees and Shrubs
- A Beginner’s Guide to Recognizing Trees of the Northeast by Mark Mikolas
- Bark by Michael Wojtech
- Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees and Shrubs (Fruit Key to Northeastern Trees and Twig Key to the Deciduous Woody Plants of Eastern North America) by William Harlow PhD
- The Sibley Guide to Trees
- Woody Plants in Winter A Manual of Common Trees and Shrubs in Winter in the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada by Earl Core and Nelle Ammons
Grasses, Sedges, Rushes
- Field Guide to Carex of New England by Lisa Standley
- Grasses: An Identification Guide by Lauren Brown
- Grasses and Rushes of Maine by Eric Doucette, Glen Mittelhauser, Matt Arsenault, and Don Cameron
- Grasses of the Northeast by Dennis Magee
- Sedges of Maine: A Field Guide to Cyperaceae by Sally Rooney, Jill Weber, Arthur Haines, Alison Dibble, Don Cameron, Glen Mittelhauser, and Matt Arsenault
- Sedges of the Northern Forest – A Digital Atlas
Wildflowers
- New England Wild Flower Society’s Flora Novae Angliae
- Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide by Lawrence Newcomb
Bryophytes/Mosses
- Common Mosses of the Northeast and Appalachians by Karl McKnight, Joseph Rohrer, and Kirsten McKnight Ward
- Mosses, Liverworts, and Hornworts A Field Guide to Common Bryophytes of the Northeast by Ralph Pope
Entomology
General
Ants
- A Field Guide to the Ants of New England by Aaron M. Ellison, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Elizabeth J. Farnsworth, and Gary D. Alpert
Bees and Wasps
- Bees of Maryland: A Field Guide
- Bees of Canada (photos)
- Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification – The Bee Genera of Eastern Canada
- Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification – Wasps
- Discover Life Key – Bee genera
- Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide by Paul H. Williams, Robbin W. Thorp, Leif L. Richardson, and Sheila R. Colla
- Bumble Bees through Binoculars
- BeeMachine – classifies 36 North American bumble bee species using photographs and AI
Dragonflies and Damselflies
- A Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Massachusetts by Blair Nikula, Jennifer Loose, and Matthew Burne
- Damselflies of the Northeast a Guide to the Species of Eastern Canada & the Northeastern United States by Ed Lam
- Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Algonquin Park and the Surrounding Area by Colin Jones, Andrea Kingsley, Peter Burke, and Matt Holder
Flower Flies
- Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification – Flower Fly genera
- Field Guide to the Flower Flies of Northeastern North America by Jeffrey H. Skevington, Michelle M. Locke, Andrew D. Young, Kevin Moran, William J. Crins, and Stephen A. Marshall
- Field/Photo ID for Flies
Lady Beetles
Butterflies and Moths
Introduced Species
Tracks
General
- Discover Life
- Peterson Field Guides
- Wetland, Woodland, Wildland by Elizabeth Thompson, Eric Sorenson and Robert Zaino
