Nature's extraordinary books give you that special insight

Outdoors, nature and travel books address oft-entwined topics. If you want to see an Arctic fox or rappel into a cave, travel is mandatory. A winter adventure often means outdoors activities. Exploring Scotland shouldn't exclude its ecosystem and inhabitants.

Whatever the emphasis of your trip, embrace the options.

"Extraordinary Leaves" ($45, Firefly). Photographer Stephen Green-Armytage ("Extraordinary Chickens," "Extraordinary Pheasants") and botanist Dennis Schrader combined to create an extraordinary book.

These are more than 225 leaves at their finest, captured in artistic moments, with a complementary amount of text. The photographer groups them by color, edge, pattern, texture, shape, size and other categories.

Against a black background, the sharp, bright orange thorns of the porcupine tomato protect the leaves; the Chidori red flowering kale leaves are reminiscent of coral; a close-up of the gradations of reds in a Canna Pretoria leaf is a work of art; and the mimosa silk tree leaves present an extraordinary pattern.

"Arctic Fox: Life at the Top of the World" ($40, Firefly). When it comes to the Arctic, the polar bear is the star headline-grabber. Eco-journalist Garry Hamilton and photographer Norbert Rosing bring us the Arctic environment as it relates to the fox, a 4- to 7-pound predator and scavenger that lives on a frozen desert. There are some photographs that simply make a reader think, "How did he get that shot?"

"Carnivores of British Columbia" ($28, Royal BC Museum). This museum handbook covers 21 species, most of which can be found in Washington state.

It starts with general mammal biology, offers identification keys (including keys to skulls), and spends at least 10 in-depth pages on a wide range of topics per mammal.

"Nature Photography" ($25, Firefly). Tim Fitzharris first published his book in 1990; now he's out with the first digital edition and more than 200 new photographs. A Fitzharris guide is always worth the price. Every photograph tells a story about nature, and each one brings to life the point of Fitzharris' text.

"Cranes: A Natural History of a Bird in Crisis" ($45, Firefly). Eye-catching photographs of 15 crane species include of a West African black-crowned crane, one of the three crane species that cannot be reliably bred in captivity; the imposing, outstretched wings posture of a sarus crane; and a white-naped crane with chick.

However, biology professor Janice Hughes uses the whooping crane to tell the story of the human and environmental pressures leading to the decline of the cranes, tracing their history, discussing behavior and biology, myth and folklore.

She also looks at recovery efforts and some successes as well as provides species profiles in the back.

"Hands-On Holidays: Short-term Adventures Make a Difference" ($22, Globe Pequot). Las Vegas, Hawaii, Disneyland: been there, done that?

As an antidote, Guy Hobbs' book offers alternatives such as castle renovation in the Czech Republic, underwater excavation of an ancient Scottish loch, orangutan research in Indonesia, and dolphin research in Mozambique.

Your life will never be the same.

"Great Caves of the World" ($30, Firefly). Geologist Tony Waltham delivers an excellent introduction. It's not a spelunking how-to, although the contents could tempt some readers to learn. Rather, it's a way to explore a world that is incredibly diverse with Waltham's down-to-earth explanations.

Kentucky's Mammoth Cave, the world's longest cave system, is here, but also others less-known to non-cavers: Hawaii's Kazumura Cave, the world's longest lava cave; Mexico's Sistema Sac Actun, the world's longest underwater caves; Russia's Pinega Caves, carved into gypsum but better known for incredible ice formations created each winter; and Malaysia's Perak Tong, a Buddhist holy cave with a 40-foot-tall Buddha and intricate cave paintings.

Sharon Wootton can be reached at www.songandword.com or 360-468-3964.