Wildflowers & Plants:
Gathering the Desert by Gary Paul Nabhan (and all of his other books).
Medicinal Plants of the Desert & Canyon West by Michael Moore
Gardening in the Southwest by Kathleen Norris Brenzel & Philip Edinger (Sunset Books)
Mojave Desert Wildflowers by Pam McKay. While you don't NEED a book to enjoy the wildflowers, it's fun to hunt for the names and classifications while you are wildflower-admiring.
Plants of the East Mojave by Adrienne Knute. This isn't all flowers but has a good mix of photos and drawings, detailed enough to aid in identification. Disappointingly, it's also out of print. If you find a used copy, grab it.
NOTE: There are more wildflower books in my a-store, so click on the above link to see them all. They are on pages 4 & 5 under Non-Fiction. (Unless I get ambitious and give the wildflowers their own page, which will be obviously titled.)
Geology: Okay, I hate to admit it, but I'm a geology geek. I LOVE to know this stuff, and if I hadn't become an artist, probably should've been a geologist as it all fascinates me. So here's a section for the other armchair geologists out there, titles which I've found enjoyable.
Geology Underfoot in Southern California by Robert Sharp & Allen Glazner
Geology Underfoot in Northern Arizona by Lon Abbott & Beth Judy
Geology Underfoot in Death Valley and Owens Valley by Robert P. Sharp
Geology Underfoot in Southern Utah by Richard L.; Wieder; Robert W.; Futey; David G. Orndorff
Gem Trails of Southern California by James R. Mitchell
