Collin Varner is a horticulturalist/arboriculturist. He began his career at the University of British Columbia's Botanical Garden, and over the next forty years he assumed responsibility for conserving twenty-five thousand trees across campus and taught courses in native plant studies. Now retired, Varner is an avid photographer, world traveler, and best-selling author of The Flora and Fauna of Coastal British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, Invasive Flora of the West Coast, and The Flora and Fauna of Stanley Park. He lives in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

"Edible and Medicinal Flora of the West Coast is both a good read and, as a handy field guide, a keeper. The reader may dip into the book for specific safe foraging information--and will be drawn back to find out more."