Naturalists Guide PNW Dunes coverDespite their vast, open stretches of sand where, other than some waving swaths of unusually hardy grasses, living things seem sparsely represented at best, the dunes of the Pacific Northwest are actually teeming with a wide ranging variety of life – if you know where to look.

George Poinar Jr. knows where to look. And in his new book, A Naturalist’s Guide to the Hidden World of Pacific Northwest Dunes, from Oregon State University Press, he guides his readers through a fascinating selection of plant-centered communities that clearly show just how much life is to be found amid the dunes.