author
Charles Francis Saunders
1859–1941
A keen observer of the American landscape, this early naturalist writer turned wildflowers, deserts, and edible plants into inviting subjects for everyday readers. His books blend practical knowledge with a warm sense of wonder about the outdoors.
1 Audiobook
Finding the Worth While in the Southwest
by Charles Francis Saunders
About the author
Born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1859, Charles Francis Saunders was an American author, horticulturalist, and botanically minded nature writer. He was educated at Friends' Central School in Philadelphia, came from Quaker family roots, and began publishing botanical essays in the 1890s.
After years in business and editorial work, he became known for books that introduced readers to plant life, regional landscapes, and Native cultures of the American Southwest and California. His first wife, Elisabeth Hallowell Saunders, was also a naturalist and illustrator, and the two collaborated on several works.
Saunders spent important years in California, where his writing drew on close observation of gardens, deserts, wildflowers, and everyday outdoor life. He is especially remembered for works such as Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada, along with other books on Western wildflowers and the Southwest, and he remained an active writer until his death in 1941.