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I'm mostly into trees and shrubs, and I'm based out of Texas. I have a few books, including:

Trees by Allen Coombes, useful for identifying some of the most widely-planted/popular trees and their varieties around the world.

Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of the Southwest by Robert Vines. A comprehensive resource for identifying native trees/shrubs/vines if you're in the area.

Manual of the Trees of North America by Charles Sprague Sargent, vols. 1 and 2. Slightly outdated in terms of pure taxonomy, but (again) extremely comprehensive, and includes nice identification keys and a glossary for the technical terms.

It helps to be crazypassionate enough about the subject that you'd actually crack open these books for pleasure browsing instead of just trying to find a species, but it's not required.

Google image search is your friend, especially if there is some characteristic about the plant that really stands out, you may just be able to search directly for it. If the OP has provided location information, a search like "oaks native to minnesota" (or whatever) can help narrow down a species.

Also it helps to walk through a few nurseries in your area, look at the labels, and figure out what is popular.

Some of it is just experience and really wanting to know what things are. You just get to know the trees/plants in your area, and if you see something out of place, figure out what it is and add it to your mental inventory, store its characteristics (foliage arrangement, fall color, leaf/bark variability, general shape/form, fruit, common diseases/issues, etc. etc.) Just do this for the stuff you care about. I've found that over time, as things become familiar, I have the mental space to care about things that would have escaped my attention before.

It's easier to distinguish some superficially similar trees (for instance, pecan vs. black walnut w/no fruit, or catalpa vs paulownia) after you've seen a few of them in person and know what to look for.

Sorry for the TL;DR, hope it helps!

It's definitely a challenge gardening in the desert and it's what I do for a living! Lots of trial and error still to this day and I've lived in the desert for 10 years now.

Here are some books that I have found very helpful:

Perennials for the Southwest

Native Plants for Southwest Landscapes

Arid Plants for Dry Regions

I used to work in a desert botanic garden nursery and these 3 books were our go to books for reference. Bear in mind that your area can get much colder than the low desert but all these books have plant temperature requirements.

But most importantly have fun getting to know the desert and after time you'll see what a magical place it is. If you have the time I recommend exploring the natural areas by hiking, camping or just doing a bit of road tripping. You'll get lots of inspiration and come to an understanding of how unique all the animals and plants are that have had to adapt to such harsh conditions. Winter is great time to explore. No bugs and all the snakes are sleeping! =)

I am voting with ABITCH and saying Carpinus caroliniana. Carpinus don't usually get so big, but in a city the competition is usually nonexistent and if it can survive the smog, a tree can thrive. The bark seems a little unusual for that species, but I think that's a result of the tree being bigger than an average specimen. It does look a bit like an elm or beech, but take a look at those 'little leaves' developing at the ends of the branches- those are definitely not beech nuts or elm seeds, and they sure look a lot like carpinus inflorescence. They are neat little trees and tend to look very muscular.

Also, I like your blog! I recommend getting this book, and/or others in the series: http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Finder-Manual-Identification-Eastern/dp/0912550015/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310438269&sr=8-1

It will help you learn about the different distinguishing characteristics and walk you through ID's until you get the hang of it. Sometimes picture based guides are not ideal, because one specimen may look very different than it's relatives due to disease or an unideal habitat.

This is the book I like, but it does pre-suppose quite a bit of botany. Part of what I like is the introductory section where he explains the botanical terms. The simple line drawings are excellent, in my opinion, and since the family level is most important for getting your bearings with wild plants, it's a book I turn to pretty often. What I don't like about it is the quality of the binding is poor, and it's pretty dense with abbreviations and botanical terminology that I end up flipping to the glossary to look up all the time.

For about $20, pick up this book: http://www.amazon.com/Plant-Identification-Terminology-Illustrated-Glossary/dp/0964022168.
This will help with a lot of the jargon you will run into when using technical keys.

@OP If you are truly interested in plant taxonomy see about enrolling in a plant tax class at a university. You should also find out a good key for your local flora (if you let me know your area I can attempt a suggestion) and just get out and start keying. At first you will struggle and it will be painful, but as with anything, you get better with practice.

Oh, also consider getting a hand lens. I suggest something 10x or 14x.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/plumeria/growing-plumeria-cuttings.htm

They do look hideous and weird when it’s a stem! That does say to wait a week after cutting them but that’s when you are removing them from live plant. Yours have already been off a plant for awhile. I don’t know for sure though. Maybe make a new cut and wait a few days just in case? That also says to use perlite and soil. I did not do that! I just used regular soil. At first mine were a little slow but then they took off! So don’t panic if they haven’t grown in first month or two. They are making roots during this time. Mine Still haven’t flowered but it’s only been a few months. They come in different colors so it will be interesting to see what color you got. If you have time to get rooting hormone that may help too. I’m sure they have it at Home Depot but it’s also on amazon for a few bucks. You may want to remove those leaves that have grown when you cut other end. They do cuttings totally bald so it can put all it’s energy into make roots. It will put out new leaves there when you plant it. And take them out of the water if you haven’t already.

Garden Safe TakeRoot Rooting Hormone (HG-93194) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AA8WPGY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_duoVBbVQY1TD9

I have a moron kitty as well - he likes to chew on plastic bags and packing tape. The other will use larger pots as a litter box, so I have to be sure any big pots are full of uncomfortable things like sansevieria.

Destruction like the carpet and tearing pots apart sounds like lack of enrichment/mental stimulation. Consider multi-level cat furniture or shelves and some fishing toys or laser lights to get them going. Stuffing their food into treat balls that slow release the food can help as well. Good luck!

I agree with /u/whyen0t -- taking a class is really a great start! Beyond that, I would recommend getting a dichotomous key for the flora in your area and starting to familiarize yourself with different plants you see quite a bit. Often, there is a "Guide to the Families" section in the beginning of a floristic guide that can give you a really good sense of the big characteristics that define each family. Just googling a guide to the families brought me to this one: http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Flowering-Plant-Families-Zomlefer/dp/0807844705/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415690844&sr=8-1&keywords=guide+to+plant+families --I don't know anything about it personally, but it seems to have good reviews!

Hard to say- you have got a lot of lichen species in that photo, and you often need some pretty minute, clear details to even get to the genus level with lichens. That being said I can say with a reasonable degree of certainty that you've at least got some Aspicilia caesiocinerea, some Rhizoplaca chrysoleuca, and something like Xanthoparmelia Coloradoensis. If you want to get going on learning to ID lichens yourself, I recommend A Rocky Mountain Lichen Primer. If you want a seriously deep-dive inventory of lichens in the state, check out the list so far on CNALH.

this one is decent.
best of luck in your plant adventures!❤️

Yes—they are wonderful! They work much better than the glass bulb waterers, according to Amazon reviews. I haven’t tried both, but I’m quite satisfied with the plant nannies I bought!

It does have a drain hole! I actually repotted it this morning and it has this for most of the pot but a thin layer of soil towards the top from the last pot - would it be best for me to shake that out of it as best I can? I was more afraid to damage the tiny roots in doing that as I've grown a bit attached to it.

It's currently at my desk at work which explains the not enough light so I'll bring it home tomorrow and stick it on the windowsill.

[I love this book](https://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Foraging-Flavorful-Edibles-Regional/dp/1604695315) and [this blog](https://honest-food.net/) is also great.

One of my most favorite things about Amazon.com is all of the cool live plants you can buy! I bought a chocolate tree plant a few years ago!

I was excited to see that Queen of The Night comes
In several colors and even variations on the bloom!!!

Thanks! It’s a typewriter styled mechanical keyboard. I’ve had it a few years now and it is awesome. Here is the link if you want to check it out: https://www.amazon.com/Azio-Mechanical-Keyboard-Switch-MK-RETRO-01/dp/B01LY32G54

I assume you already have a copy of the Jepson Manual and / or are familiar with eFlora. Sort of the de facto gold standard for California. You can get a used older edition pretty cheap and other than moving a few species around it's still a very usable, if not very portable book.

I'd point out that California has one of the richest floras in the world. In some ways though, it's characterized by a large number of species and subspecies within many of the genera. So if you can learn to recognize for example a plant from the genus eriogonum or arctostaphylos at a glace, keying it out to the specific species will be much more simple. Learn to spot the major genera of the area because the exact species you will encounter might be different than you would see just a few miles away and you will never remember them all, the book is 1600 pages.

Location is really important for this question. The majority of quality books for plant ID are very region or state specific. If you are just looking for terminology and basics like that, they will be a little more universal. For that last one, I'd recommend Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary.

Tahitian Bridal Veil

Gibasis geniculata or Gibasis pellucida

Not much on Wikipedia except for the genus. Googling "Tahitian Bridal Veil" has some helpful information.

Edit: Since it's pretty sad looking, rooting hormone may help.