Wildflowers of the Smokies. By Peter White. Great Smoky Mountains National History Association, 206 pages, $11.50.

This colorful pocket-size guidebook to wildflowers, written by North Carolina Botanical Garden Director Peter White, recently took first prize in the Natural History category of the 1998 Excellence in Interpretation competition.

White put the book together with the help of several friends who provided him with unique stories for each wildflower. And it’s these stories that probably helped win the award, White says. “Too many wildflower books just show the pretty faces and names without the important ecological, evolutionary, conservation, and human history stories these flowers tell.”

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most visited parks in the United States. With thousands of people visiting the 500,000 acre park each year, there was a great need to provide an educational resource that visitors can refer to as they hike. So the park’s national history association invited White to write the book because of his extensive research in the Smokies.

First published in 1996, the book is now in its third printing. All proceeds for the book, after printing costs, go to the Botanical Gardens or the National Park to support education and research.