This book is not a field guide in the strictest sense but rather a meditation on some of the most common and useful plants in North America. The volume¿s 52 brief essays -- each focusing on a particular species or subject during a season in which it is likely to come to the would-be gatherer¿s attention -- touch on culinary, medicinal, and cosmetic uses for wildlings. Recipes are interspersed throughout (including preparations both for the despised dandelion and for kudzu, Demon of the South), along with a wealth of background information drawing on ancient, folkloric, and scientific observation. With the burgeoning interest in native plants and Xeriscaping for minimal water consumption, this practical and poetic book seems especially appropriate. Illus.