On this page I am listing useful books I have personally used to help me identify Australian plants and animals in the field. Some of these have also been reviewed in more detail, see Reviews.
> Plants
These excellent field guides and manuals can help you get to know and grow Australian plants. More to come…
South Coast Ferns
South Coast Ferns describes 136 local fern species from the south coast in New South Wales. All species have colour photographs ...
Indigenous Plant Use
Indigenous Plant Use is a small but very interesting booklet on indigenous use of plants of the eastern Kulin Nation (Victoria) ...
Name That Flower: The Identification of Flowering Plants
Name That Flower is a comprehensive guide to identifying flowering plants and focuses on plant families that occur in Australia ...
Grassland Flora: a field guide for the Southern Tablelands (NSW & ACT)
This Grassland Flora is a great field guide to the plants of the endangered grasslands in the Southern Tablelands of NSW and the ACT ...
Black Mountain: a natural history of a Canberra icon
This great book on Black Mountain discusses the mountain's geology, soils, vegetation, plants and animals, fire history and walks ...
Norfolk Island’s Fascinating Flora
'Norfolk Island's Fascinating Flora' describes many of Norfolk Island's native and non-native plants. All plants are illustrated with colour photographs ...
Australian Native Plants: Cultivation and Uses in the Health and Food Industries
Australian Native Plants: Cultivation and Uses in the Health and Food Industries gives an overview of native food crops commercially grown in Australia. These include: Anise Myrtle, Bush Tomato, Desert Raisin, Davidson s Plum, Desert Limes, Australian Finger Lime, Kakadu Plum, Lemon Aspen, Lemon Myrtle, Muntries, Native Pepper, Quandong, Riberry, and Wattle Seed ...
Birdscaping Australian Gardens
Birdscaping Australian Gardens helps you identify the most common Australian garden birds and choose native plants that will attract these birds to your backyard ...
Field Guide to Plants of the Molonglo Valley (ACT)
Field Guide to Plants of the Molonglo Valley describes 394 native and exotic species from the Molonglo Valley of the Australian Capital Territory ...
The Grampians in Flower
The Grampians in Flower is a pictorial introduction to 400 flowering plants of the Grampians region and surrounding area in central western Victoria ...
A Field Guide to the Grampians Flora
A Field Guide to the Grampians Flora describes the most common trees, shrubs, climbers, lilies, grasses, orchids, and fern and fern allies in the Grampians or Gariwerd ...
Kosciusko Alpine Flora
Kosciusko Alpine Flora is a comprehensive account of the Kosciusko environment and its alpine plants ...
Ocean Shores to Desert Dunes
Ocean Shores to Desert Dunes describes 99 vegetation types in NSW and the ACT. Each includes an indicative species list, a location map and photographs ...
Australian Marine Life
Australian Marine Life describes 1450 of the most commonly seen plants and animals of the temperate marine waters of Australia ...
Edible Wattle Seeds of Southern Australia
Edible Wattle Seeds of Southern Australia identifies 47 Acacia species that have potential for cultivation in the southern semi-arid region of Australia as a source of seed for human consumption ...
Australian Native Plants — Cultivation, use in landscaping and propagation
This sixth edition of Australian Native Plants describes more than 1500 Australian native plants for the garden and is suitable for gardeners around Australia ...
Eremophila and Allied Genera
Eremophila and Allied Genera presents a treatment of species in the Myoporaceae plant family. It provides detailed plant descriptions, as well as analytical drawings, notes on distribution, ecology, conservation status and relationships ...
A Field Guide to the Eremophilas of Western Australia
A Field Guide to the Eremophilas of Western Australia covers 186 formally described and named species of Eremophila that occur naturally in Western Australia. It also provides descriptions of 24 Eremophila species that have not yet been formally named. For each plant the authors provide excellent photographs and a species distribution map for Western Australia ...
Flora of the Sydney Region
Flora of the Sydney Region is a plant identification guide to over 3000 indigenous or naturalised species in the area from Newcastle to Nowra, and west to Lithgow ...
Plant Life of Western Australia
Plant Life of Western Australia is an interpretation for the general reader of the Vegetation Survey of WA done from 1964 to 1984 by Dr Beard. It was first published in 1990. This new edition has been revised by Alex George. The book makes maximum use of colour illustrations ...
The People of Gariwerd
The People of Gariwerd — the Grampians' aboriginal heritage tells how Aboriginal people have maintained an intense and unbroken relationship with the peaks and plains of Gariwerd since the last Ice Age to the present day ...
Adnyamathanha and Beyond
Adnyamathanha and Beyond: useful plants of an ancient land is about plants in the Flinders Ranges that are significant to the Adnyamathanha Aboriginal people in South Australia. These are the plants that have provided the Adnyamathanha people with plentiful food, medicine, craft and hardware supplies for thousands of years ...
Bushfires & Bushtucker
Bushfires & Bushtucker: Aboriginal plant use in Central Australia is a comprehensive survey of desert plants and plant use in Central Australia (Northern Territory). The Pitjantjatjara, Warlpiri, Arrente, Pintupi and many other Central Australian Aboriginal peoples have shared their knowledge with lifelong Centralian Peter Latz to produce this lively and accessible book ...
Ngunnawal Plant Use
Ngunnawal Plant Use is a traditional aboriginal plant use guide for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) region. It describes and illustrates 69 plant species, including their Ngunnawal use, distribution, and method of propagation ...
A Guide to Flowers and Plants of Tasmania
A Guide to Flowers and Plants of Tasmania is a field guide to common plant species in Tasmania ...
Wild Plants of Greater Brisbane
Brisbane and the surrounding region is one of the greenest urban environments in the world. About 2800 species of wild plants survive and mostly flourish in this region. Wild Plants of Greater Brisbane is a field guide to more than 500 species of Brisbane's most familiar wild plants. It describes and illustrates these species, and contains more than 1100 excellent colour photographs ...
Jawoyn Plants and Animals
Jawoyn Plants and Animals records the traditional aboriginal Jawoyn names and uses of almost 600 plants and animals found on Jawoyn country (Nitmiluk National Park and the Katherine area, Northern Territory) ...
Field Guide to Useful Native Plants from Temperate Australia
The Field Guide to Useful Native Plants from Temperate Australia has detailed descriptions of over 150 useful plants from Australia's temperate region. More than 600 colour photographs and drawings illustrate the plant descriptions. It contains information on a wide range of uses, such as food, fibre and medicines (including notes on preparation) ...
A Natural History and Field Guide to Australia’s Top End
A Natural History and Field Guide to Australia's Top End is an illustrated field guide to the top end of the Northern Territory. It describes the main habitats and commonly seen animals and plants in these ecosystems and contains many photographs. This is an excellent guide for naturalists who are visiting Australia's tropical north ...
A Field Guide to Central Australia
A Field Guide to Central Australia is an illustrated guide to the landscape, plants and animals seen along the main tourist routes of central Australia. It covers the area around Alice Springs, west to Kings Canyon, and south to Uluru and the Simpson Desert ...
Wildflowers & Plants of Inland Australia
Anne Urban's Wildflowers and Plants of Inland Australia is a comprehensive field guide about plants of inland Australia. It covers the area between latitudes 20°S and 26°S of the Northern Territory. Each plant description is illustrated with one or more colour photographs ...
Flowers of the Australian Capital Territory and Region
Flowers of the Australian Capital Territory and Region is a field guide to native and introduced plants of this region. Each plant is illustrated with a colour photograph ...
Rainforest Restoration Manual for South-eastern Australia
Rainforest Restoration Manual for South-Eastern Australia is a guide to the recovery and restoration of subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, gallery, dry, dry gully and littoral rainforests from south-eastern Queensland to Tasmania ...
Flowers of the South Coast and Ranges of New South Wales
Flowers of the South Coast and Ranges of New South Wales is a three-part set of books that contain colour photographs of native and introduced plants ...
Flora of Victoria
The Flora of Victoria is a four-volume reference work covering the flowering plants, conifers, and ferns and allied plants that occur in Victoria ...
Native Plants of the Sydney Region
Native Plants of the Sydney Region is a field guide of the native plants found from Newcastle to Nowra. It contains 1400 great colour photographs ...
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of New South Wales is a major four-part work describing the naturally occurring and naturalised plants in New South Wales (including the ACT) ...
A Guide to Plants of Inland Australia
Covers the major plants of three-quarters of the continent of Australia. This book features 800 species that are well-known, and can be easily seen throughout inland Australia ...
Trees and Shrubs of North-west Queensland
Trees and Shrubs of North-west Queensland is one of a two-book set on the flora of north-west Queensland. The plant descriptions are supported by many photographs for easy identification in the field ...
Pasture Plants of North-west Queensland
Pasture Plants of North-west Queensland is one of a two-book set on the flora of north-west Queensland. It is supported by hundreds of photographs for easy identification in the field ...
Plants of Central Queensland
Plants of Central Queensland describes and illustrates 525 plants of central Queensland so that they can be readily identified in the field ...
Field Guide to the Plants of Outback South Australia
A field guide to the more common plants of outback South Australia with maps and colour photographs ...
Native Plants of Northern Australia
Native Plants of Northern Australia presents a comprehensive coverage of the trees and shrubs of the top end of the Northern Territory ...
Native Trees and Shrubs of South-eastern Australia
Native Trees and Shrubs of South-eastern Australia is one of the best illustrated tools for field identification of trees and shrubs. It covers areas of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia ...
Rainforest Climbing Plants
Rainforest Climbing Plants is a plant identification book for the botanically minded naturalist to identify rainforest climbing plants in Victoria, NSW and subtropical Queensland ...
Rainforest Trees and Shrubs
An identification guide to rainforest trees and shrubs from Victoria, New South Wales and subtropical Queensland using vegetative features ...
Australian Plants for Canberra Region Gardens
Australian Plants for Canberra Region Gardens is a gardening book that overflows with colour! It describes and illustrates 934 plants suitable for Canberra ...
> Animals
These excellent field guides can help you identify Australian animals. More to come…
The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia
The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia (2nd ed) describes 333 species of dragonflies and damselflies that occur in Australia ...
Black Mountain: a natural history of a Canberra icon
This great book on Black Mountain discusses the mountain's geology, soils, vegetation, plants and animals, fire history and walks ...
A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia
A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia provides a descriptions, distribution map and colour image(s) for all Australian reptiles ...
A Guide to the Beetles of Australia
A Guide to the Beetles of Australia emphasises the environmental role of beetles, their relationships with other plants and animals and their importance to humans ...
Field Guide to the Butterflies of the Australian Capital Territory
The Field Guide to the Butterflies of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) contains species descriptions, life cycle and habitat information as well as photos, maps of records and predicted preferred habitats for the 87 butterfly species occurring in the ACT ...
The Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia
The second edition of the award-winning book The Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia is a fully updated guide to all butterfly species on Australia’s mainland and remote islands ...
Birdscaping Australian Gardens
Birdscaping Australian Gardens helps you identify the most common Australian garden birds and choose native plants that will attract these birds to your backyard ...
Australian Marine Life
Australian Marine Life describes 1450 of the most commonly seen plants and animals of the temperate marine waters of Australia ...
Insects of South-eastern Australia
Insects of South-eastern Australia is a unique field guide that uses host plants and behavioural attributes as the starting point for identifying insects ...
The People of Gariwerd
The People of Gariwerd — the Grampians' aboriginal heritage tells how Aboriginal people have maintained an intense and unbroken relationship with the peaks and plains of Gariwerd since the last Ice Age to the present day ...
> Apps
In the field, apps can be a great and much lighter tool than a book.
Here are some great apps on Australian biodiversity. More to come…
Birds of Australia
The Birds of Australia app makes identifying Australian birds in the bush so much easier. It's also a great way to learn more about birds ...
Birds of Australia — App review
I love the 'Birds of Australia' app. It makes identifying Australian birds in the bush so much easier. It's also a great way to learn more about birds ...
Coastal Life of South East Queensland app
Coastal Life of SE Queensland is a free app to help you identify species on the rocky shores, muddy sandflats and mangroves of SE Qld. It describes over 540 species ...
Field Guide to Australian Capital Territory Fauna app
The Field Guide to Australian Capital Territory Fauna app describes and illustrates over 730 mammals, birds, fishes, reptiles, frogs and invertebrates in The ACT. It is free ...
Field Guide to New South Wales Fauna app
The Field Guide to New South Wales Fauna app describes and illustrates over 900 mammals, birds, fishes, reptiles, frogs and invertebrates in New South Wales. It is free ...
Field Guide to Northern Territory Fauna app
The Field Guide to Northern Territory Fauna app describes and illustrates over 600 mammals, birds, fishes, reptiles, frogs and invertebrates in the Northern Territory. It is free ...
Field Guide to Queensland Fauna app
The Field Guide to Queensland Fauna app describes and illustrates over 560 mammals, birds, fishes, reptiles, frogs and invertebrates in Queensland. It is free ...
Field Guide to South Australian Fauna app
The Field Guide to South Australian Fauna app describes and illustrates over 200 mammals, birds, fishes, reptiles, frogs and invertebrates in South Australia. It is free ...
Field Guide to Tasmanian Fauna app
The Field Guide to Tasmanian Fauna app describes and illustrates over 730 mammals, birds, fishes, reptiles, frogs and invertebrates in Tasmania. It is free ...
Field Guide to Victorian Fauna app
The Field Guide to Victorian Fauna app describes and illustrates over 900 mammals, birds, fishes, reptiles, frogs and invertebrates in Victoria. It is free ...
FrogID project and identification app
The FrogID app is a way to both participate in the Australian Museum's FrogID project and to identify the frogs you may find in Australia. It is free ...
GroNATIVE app
GroNATIVE is a free app that helps home gardeners and designers select local native plants suitable for the garden in South East Queensland ...
Plants and Fungi of South Western New South Wales
The Plants and Fungi of South Western New South Wales app describes 1100 plants in South Western NSW and includes a tool to identify plants: a great way to learn! ...
Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
The Plants of South Eastern New South Wales app describes 3900 plants in South Eastern NSW and includes a tool to identify plants: a great way to learn! ...
Rainforest Plants of Australia
Rainforest Plants of Australia is an interactive identification key and information software package. It includes species descriptions and feature information to identify over 1100 species of rainforest trees, shrubs and climbing plants of mainland eastern Australia. These species may occur in a variety of rainforests from Rockhampton, in Queensland, to Victoria ...
