Flora & Fauna Books puts down new roots

A recent search for a field guide on the birds of Northern India led me to the charming new digs of Flora & Fauna Books. Last April, the Seattle institution moved from its subterranean space in Pioneer Square to an adorable cottage just outside Discovery Park in Magnolia.

Built in 1919, the cozy, light-filled home has three rooms of books. The former living room, dining room and bedroom are lined with shelves and cases holding thousands of tomes relating to gardening, botany and natural history, covering everything from fancy grasses and Seattle slugs to Bengal foxes in Nepal.

A gold mine of information for nature lovers, the shop attracts clients from all over the world, including novice and master gardeners, scientists, consultants, naturalists, photographers and artists.

"We are the Google of natural history and botany," says owner and master birder David Hutchinson, who's been in business for more than 25 years. The service-oriented staff is happy to answer questions or search for hard-to-find, out-of-print and rare books. Though the store is open just three days a week (Friday through Sunday), the staff is also accessible by appointment.

I quickly found two excellent field guides, one on birds and the other on mammals in India (where I will be traveling later this month), so I had plenty of time to browse the other sections. Along with nonfiction books, there's a collection of nature-focused fiction, beautiful hand-colored bird and animal prints from the 19th century and a small plant nursery out back.

Now is a good time to stop by. Pick up books and start planning the spring garden of your dreams, or grab a birding guide and head to Discovery Park, where you just might spot an American Wigeon, a Northern Shoveler or a Hooded Merganser.

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