Rattlers, Peepers, and Snappers. Vince Fanke. 2008. Peregrine Productions, Waterbury, VT (www.peregrineproductions. com). DVD. $24.95. Franke produced this DVD for natural resource professionals, teachers, naturalists, and students of all ages who want to learn about herpetology, natural history, or any of the 52 fascinating amphibian and reptile species that breed in New England. I viewed it with my homeschooled science class and we found it to be a very engaging way to learn about herp species living in our backyards. Ample footage of and commentary by real-life research biologists in the field provides an excellent background overview of the species’ habitats, current threats to their survival, and the measures that can be taken to protect them. Detailed species-by-species photos, descriptive facts, and recordings of their calls greatly aids in preparing to look for and identify these species on one's own. My students really enjoyed the included review quizes. All in all, a well-produced, quality resource highly recommended for anyone interested in New England’s reptiles and amphibians. Keith Goldfarb. Trees and Shrubs of Minnesota. Welby R. Smith. 2008. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN. 640 pp. $59.95, hardcover. ISBN 9780816640652. Practical, comprehensive, and packed with information—the indispensable guide for identifying trees and shrubs in Minnesota. In this new identification resource, the state’s foremost botanist and endangered species expert Welby R. Smith provides authoritative, accessible, and up-to-date information on the state’s native and naturalized woody plant species. This guide features: easy identification—more than one thousand color photographs of fruit, flowers, bark, and leaves for every species, as well as more than one hundred illustrations; distribution maps—more than five hundred maps, including state and North American range maps; interesting background—descriptions of each species’ habitat, natural history, and ecology, which provide context to the entries; comprehensive coverage—includes all native and naturalized trees, shrubs, and woody vines in Minnesota from Abies balsamea to Zanthozylum americanum. Written for everyone from scientists and environmentalists to teachers and people interested in horticulture and gardening. The Macrolichens of New England: Descriptions, Color Illustrations, Identification Keys, Conservation Status. James W. Hinds and Patricia L. Hinds. 2007. The New York Botanical Garden Press, New York, NY. 608 pp. $65, hardcover. ISBN 0893274771. With over 600 pages, 400 color illustrations, and 35 years of fieldwork, research, and photography by the authors, this reference is the most comprehensive work of its kind. The volume includes: descriptions of 98 genera and 461 species; an introduction to general lichen morphology; a glossary of terms for less experienced readers; advice on collecting lichens and performing chemical tests; a review of the ecological role of New England lichens and the geography, geology, climate, conservation status, and major biogeographical zones for lichens in New England; identification keys, both general and genus-specific, to 502 species, including the 461 New England species and 41 additional species known from adjacent states and provinces that could occur in this region; and synonyms, misapplied names, common names, morphology, chemistry, worldwide range, usual substrate, distribution in New England, and comparisons with similar species. Noteworthy Books Received by the Northeastern Naturalist, Issue 16/1, 2009 The Northeastern Naturalist welcomes submissions of review copies of books that publishers or authors would like to recommend to the journal’s readership and are relevant to the journal’s mission of publishing information about the natural history of the northeastern US. Accompanying short, descriptive summaries of the text are also welcome.