Botany

• Animals and Plants of the Ancient Maya : A Guide by Victoria Schlesinger and Carlos Galindo-Leal, illustrated by Juan C. Chab-Medina (Univ. of Texas, 2002). I live in Mexico, and believe me -- it is very difficult to find any guidebooks to the plant and animal life here. This useful book makes a start by describing some of the plants and animals most heavily utilized by the Maya in southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and western Honduras. More than a field guide, this book not only describes and illustrates the plants and animals along with their habitats and natural history, but also explains how they fit into Mayan culture.
• Gardening With Carnivores : Sarracenia Pitcher Plants in Cultivation & in the Wild by Nick Romanowski (Univ. of Florida Press, 2002). This is just cool -- pitcher plants are often thought of as delicate hot-house exotics, but the author points out the diverse environments in which the plants occur naturally, and shows how to create a suitable environment in your garden for these bug eating beauties.