By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

Orange County amateur botanist Dick Newell has some excellent suggestions on how to identify what you find on your hikes in the July/August issue of the newsletter published by the Orange County Chapter of the California Native Plant Society.  Here's one suggestion I plan on implementing:

1.  Buy an inexpensive hand lens or magnifier and always carry it with you in the field.  Get a thin leather string from a bead store or a shoelace and make a necklace that will allow you to carry the lens around your neck.  Plastic lens with a maximum of 10 power are available in the $5-6 dollar range.  Potential vendors include hobby shops, sporting good stores, and coin or stamp shops.  Acorn Naturalists has a 5x/10x/dual folding pocket magnifier for under $5.

You can read the rest of Newell's excellent suggestions, which include field guides, websites, and more on the Chapter's website.  Click on the July/August newsletter and the article entitled "What is That Flower?"

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, make sure you saw Jim's post on the websites he uses to help him identify wildflowers.

Be the first to name this flower correctly, and I'll send you the latest edition of the Sunset Western Garden Book.