Nature-themed books to lure us outdoors

“Birds” was last updated in 1994, “Trees” in 1980, and there’s lots of new science and wowza photography to share.

The biggest change is the inclusion of conservation status, and both guides include range maps that show the impact of climate change for each species.

Scott Weidensaul, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his past work on birds, follows their arduous and lengthy global migrations.

In one breathtaking passage, he describes looking at a radar map over the northeastern U.S. and seeing “immense blobs of pale blue and green, the radar signature of millions of songbirds aloft in the clear night on their way south,” — unseen by us because of the darkness, he writes.

Beronda Montgomery, a biochemist at Michigan State University, aims “to increase plant awareness, mitigate potential biases against plants, and introduce you to the wisdom of plants.”

She looks at how plants experience the world, imagining what life looks like from their perspective.

This heavy, glossy coffee-table book explores how flowers and floral motifs have been used over the ages in art, fashion and design.

There’s also a timeline of the history of flowers, and a rundown of the symbolism and significance accrued to some species over the centuries.

A natural history writer and photographer, Jon Dunn travels up and down the full range of these tiny birds, which now live only in the Americas, from near the Arctic Circle to the tip of South America.

He writes not only about how they live and are faring, but about their history as a subject of fascination and exploitation.

From a dew-drunk cicada that inspired a first-century poem in ancient Greece to Walt Whitman’s “noiseless, patient spider,” this anthology shows that watching bugs is as old as civilization.

At a time when many insects are at risk, including some of the most beneficial ones, this volume appreciates our eternal love-hate relationship with them.

Harvard geologist and natural history professor Andrew H. Knoll charts the planet’s history in accessible style, from its beginning as “a small planet accreted out of rocky debris circling a modest young star” through the development of minerals, geographical formations, atmosphere and life forms large and small.

Kids at the beach can go deeper — literally and figuratively — into the sea with tips from environmental scientist and professional surfer Easkey Britton.

Part of the publisher’s “Explore More” series (previous titles include “50 Things to See in the Sky” and “50 Things to Do in the Wild”), this book explores our connection to the ocean and its health.