Nature Guide to the Carolina Coast: Common Birds, Crabs, Shells, Fish, and Other Entities of the Coastal Environment

While on a family vacation on the Carolina coast last May, my 3-year-old grandson spent much of his time stretched out on his belly next to tidal pools. He would pick up each gastropod, examine it carefully, let it walk on his arm, and ask me "What is his name?"I had no clue. One week a year at the beach had not taught me the names of the creatures. When I returned home, I consulted a friend who is a biology professor. He recommended this guide as one he uses with a class he takes on a field trip to the coast each year.The guide is a good one. Not brilliant or extensive, but with some decent photos and lots of interesting facts (herons eat snakes?). There are extras about how to choose seafood to eat, a call for the world's citizens to take better care of the environment, definitions, and a list of relevant quotations, ranging from Shakespeare to Water Rat in "Wind in the Willows" (There is nothing--absolutely nothing--half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats).Next year, I will take this very portable guide along, and I'll be better prepared for questions.

The second edition of Nature Guide to the Carolina Coast is the ideal resource for visitors to our shores. As a serious amateur seashore naturalist, I know they have innumerable questions about hermit and horseshoe crabs, sand dollars, sea urchins, seashells, birds and fish. They ask about marshes and mudflats, sea oats and grasses, sea turtles, sand dunes, barrier islands and hurricanes. Their curiosity about sharks, stingrays and skates is insatiable.In Nature Guide to the Carolina Coast Peter Meyer writes on each of those topics and hundreds of others with the scientific accuracy we expect of him while remaining at a level the average beachcomber understands. Explaining everything from microscopic plankton to whales and alligators, Meyer includes 150 color photographs and over 200 drawings of everything from a delicate brittle star to water cycling from the ocean to clouds and back again. Without neglecting other topics, Meyer provides superb information about crabs and other crustaceans, an area in which he is exceptionally knowledgeable.Nature Guide to the Carolina Coast is laced with both humor and reverence for our threatened natural resources. It takes visitors beyond an annual summer vacation at the beach to new-found respect for the environment. They leave not only knowing about animals they saw and the relationship between the moon and tides but also understanding that they must work to ensure that their grandchildren will hold sea stars and hermit crabs in their hands.

We are frequent beach goers to the Myrtle Beach SC area and enjoy walking along the edge of the water. We find all kinds of interesting sea life and shells. Now we can use this book to identify what we find. Very comprehensive book of South Carolina Sea life

My goal in purchasing this book, which pulls together information about birds, shells, dune plants, and fish was to be able to pack one slim volume instead of the bag of field guides I usually took to the Outer Banks. After two trips to North Carolina in the last year, I have found that I still need to carry a couple of other references because this is not comprehensive in any one of its categories--and how could it be at 148 pages? However, Meyer's guide does manage to cover many of the specimens commonly found along the Carolina coast. Furthermore, it is written in a graceful voice that keeps you reading long after you've put a name to the beastie you found on the beach. It is not childish or simple at all, but it can be used by the entire family. It stirs wonder.

We first found this book at a vacation rental. It was so good we purchased it.

I got this book to accompany me on a vacation to the carolina coast.It was very useful as it has good detail on pretty much all the aspects of the coast that you are likely to see. It provides fairly comprehensive explanations, illustrations and photos, in a clear format.I am sure that a hard core naturalist or serious scientist would probably want more than this book provides, but for a casual visitor, I felt like it had a good breadth of coverage, and enough depth of coverage, presented in an easy-to-read style to satisfy my curiosity.It was sort of like having a good middle school science/natural history teacher accompanying you on the trip in your suitcase. But without the care and feeding requirements, or the risk of being arrested for kidnapping a teacher. :)

This book is SO helpful! It's written in terms that "the rest of us" can understand. I bought it for myself, but my elementary school aged children will search for information in it as well. I feel like it's perfectly accessible to us all. I'm no expert, but after reading through this book (and then searching for things after a day at the beach), I love being able to whip out little bits of coastal trivia. I'd definitely recommend this book for someone looking for an easy to understand guide to the coast.

This summer we rented a house on the South Carolina coast and there was a copy of this book in one of the bedrooms. My whole family enjoyed reading it and using it as a resource to identify different things we had seen each day. When we returned home I decided to buy my own copy. It's not comprehensive but you're not studying for a college final in Marine Biology either.

great guide for visitors to Myrtle Beach that are beach lovers.