From left, local grass expert Chick Keller and local authors Terry Foxx and Craig Martin. Courtesy photo

Cover of Common Grasses of the Jemez Mountains, with drawings by Terry Foxx. Courtesy photo

COMMUNITY News:

The Jemez Mountains are home to an astounding variety of plants. With 176 known species, no group demonstrates this more vividly than the grasses. A new book by Terry Foxx and Craig Martin will help you learn how to identify the more common grasses found in the Jemez.

Using detailed descriptions, color photos, and detailed drawings, this book focuses on the distinctive features of grasses in the local area. Because many grasses retain their distinctive seedheads in winter, this guide is useful for identifying grasses year-round.

Common Grasses of the Jemez Mountains is the fourth volume in Foxx and Martin’s series of books covering all types of plants in the mountain range. The first three volumes are centered on ferns, trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.

“We started this in 2014, and it’s been a long but delightful journey to cover about a thousand plant species in the Jemez,” Martin said. “And we have had plenty of help: we have always included drawings by Dorothy Hoard, and we couldn’t have attempted to document the grasses without the support of our friend Chick Keller, the local expert on the subject.”

Common Grass of the Jemez Mountains, as well as the first three volumes in the series, are available at the Los Alamos Nature Center. All profits benefit the Pajarito Environmental Education Center, which operates the Nature Center.