Rick is a foremost authority on the balance of nature and culture in the regional North American landscape. A widely published author, he has studied and photographed North American plants in their native habitats for more than 20 years. His most recent book, The American Woodland Garden, received the American Horticultural Society Book Award and the Garden Writers Association of America Award for Book Photography. He is also a recipient of the American Horticultural Society Scientific Award, which honors individuals who have enriched horticulture through outstanding research.