Gearhead: 'Botany Coloring Book' makes perfect activity for rainy spring day

The yearly explosion of colorful blooms, leafing trees, unfurling ferns and all the rest of Mother Nature’s springtime show is at last underway in Sonoma County. For inquiring minds of all ages - from little kids who wonder where flowers come from, to grownups who want to understand more about botany - there couldn’t be a better time to delve into the world of plants.

And a comprehensive and thoroughly entertaining way to study that world is with “The Botany Coloring Book” by biologist and botanist Paul Young (Harper Collins Perennial). The written material provides a first-rate overview of botanic fundamentals, amply illustrated with black-and-white drawings designed for coloring in with pencils or crayons. You’ll enjoy tackling the book yourself, but it also makes for a fun joint project with your child.

It can also make a fun takealong on a camping trip or a short hike, some colored pencils tucked into a pocket of your pack.

The book’s 100 topics include plant genetics, algaes, mosses, leaf structure, seasonal changes, seed plant reproduction and pollination. But at this time of year you might want to head straight to the mesmerizing section on flowers.

“The Botany Coloring Book” contains 224 pages and measures 8 by 11 inches. $22.99. www.harpercollins.com

Many bookstores in Sonoma County carry “The Botany Coloring Book.”

It’s also carried in the gift shop at Quarryhill Botanical Garden (Glen Ellen).

Suzie Rodriguez