Book Description

A delightful look at the science of butterflies-and our obsession with them-by an acclaimed nature writer.

Butterflies have always served as a metaphor for resurrection and transformation, but as Sharman Apt Russell points out in this lyrical meditation, butterflies are above all objects of obsession. She reveals the logic behind our endless fascination with butterflies and introduces us to the legendary collectors and dedicated scientists who have obsessively catalogued new species of Lepidoptera. A luminous journey through an exotic world of passion and strange beauty, this is a book to be treasured by anyone who has ever experienced the enchantment of butterflies. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Full of Color, Full of Life
We generally do not like insects; when they come to our notice, it is usually because they irritate, pain, or impoverish us. But everyone loves butterflies, and everyone has done so since early childhood. They are fascinating natural specimens, and their colors fill us with admiration and wonder. It isn't surprising that they have caused obsessions in many people in many centuries. In _An Obsession with Butterflies: Our Long Love Affair with a Singular Insect_ (Perseus Publishing), Sharman Apt Russell has packed some taxonomy of butterflies, and also biology, but also a history about the obsessed and a chronicle of butterfly culture. Russell reveals that she is obsessed herself, but her obsession translates into an enthusiastic and poetic look at science and history that is full of life and color.

Anyone who reads this book will come away with admiration for the cleverness of tactics which evolution has given to butterflies. Caterpillars are especially vulnerable in a world that is out to get them; fungi, pathogens, wasps, ants, birds, and lizards all find caterpillars a tasty meal (oh, and humans, too). The Western Tiger Swallowtail's caterpillar is only a speck when it comes out of the egg, but as it grows and molts, it takes on the appearance of a bird's droppings. No one is interested in bird droppings. Caterpillars have enemies, but friends, too; some have developed a symbiosis with ant colonies. The butterflies get protection and nourishment, and the ants get honeydew secreted by the caterpillars. The color of butterflies may be enchanting to us, but like all the other characteristics of the insect, it is merely an evolutionary tool. Often males are more brightly colored than females; they are attracted to the drab coloration of females and repelled by the bright males, so that they spend their time with the right group to get the genes into the next generation. Darker colors help high altitude butterflies keep warm. Eyespots scare birds. Bright colors warn of unpalatability. Edible butterflies mimic toxic ones, and toxic ones mimic each other, just to make sure the birds got a clear message.

It isn't just butterflies that are examined in this book; humans are pinned here, too. Lady Glanville sent cases and cases of butterfly specimens in the early eighteenth century for the naturalists to record and keep. When she died, the will was voided because she was thought to be insane over butterflies; she would beat the hedges for "a parcel of wormes," neighbors reported. One entomologist admitted, "None but those deprived of their Senses would go in Pursuit of butterflyes." Among those similarly deprived of their senses was Lord Walter Rothschild, who hired an army of professional species-stalkers to collect butterflies from all over the world. He donated over two million specimens to the British museum. His niece Miriam was famous for producing a six-volume inventory of her father's flea collection, but she demonstrated how Monarch caterpillars become toxic by storing the poisons of milkweed plants. She wrote that butterflies are like dream flowers "...which have broken loose from their stalks and escaped into the sunshine. Air and angels." We have pinned these angels, collected them, categorized them, and studied them for hundreds of years, and they are still full of surprises. Russell's book, too, is full of surprises; did you know that the male Tiger Swallowtail has eyes on his genitals to guide them into just the right slot on the female? Readers of Russell's elegant and poetic (yet fact-filled) book will have a new appreciation for the insect that humans love.

Rewarding and entertaining read
I picked up this slim volume for a quick read and was treated to a meditation on the subject of butterfly species, as well as the insect and plant world. The book overflows with information, but the wealth of details never seems dry or textbookish. I laughed out loud at times with the insights about the subject's mating and survival behaviors revealed with wonderfully wry comparisons to everyday events. I'm left with the feeling that while seemingly a fluke of nature ("if all butterflies disappeared so would a few flowers-but not many"), the butterfly fits in nature's web through complex relationships with the plants and insects that inhabit its domain: Ants that become the children to the caterpillar's Pied Piper and plants whose leaves mimic the appearance of ones that have been ravaged by the caterpillar. And perhaps, most telling our own relationship to these singular creatures: as eccentrics, as collectors, as art appreciators, as naturalists, and as scientists. I count myself among a select group of those who have taken the time to learn about the natural world from the point of view of the butterfly. This is the rare book that is greater than the sum of the details due to the author's exceptional, wide-angle approach to a multifaceted puzzle. A pleasure to read for the humor and insight.

A Lyrical Exploration
This lyrical exploration of butterflies has an amazing range. The author's depth and breadth of research is equaled by her ability to sweep us into a very special world, the world of those who are obsessed with butterflies. Butterfly biology and ecology, the focus of this book, are clearly presented in beautiful language. The details of butterfly anatomy and behavior are sometimes bizarre and always interesting.

The author adds depth to the book by including the human view of butterflies. Her profiles of contemporary and historical scientists and ordinary people who have been obsessed with butterflies are riveting. (Some of the people are as peculiar as the insects!) She includes the incredible variety of meanings that societies have assigned to butterflies and moths. I had a hard time putting down this unusual blend of science, biography and mythology.

Truly a love affair with butterflies
Before reading An Obsession with Butterflies, a butterfly was something that caught my attention as it flitted across a meadow. Russell's beautiful writing and in-depth research makes high level science accessible while still keeping the focus on the wonder of nature. This book not only increased my knowledge about the life events and diversity of butterflies but gave me insight into the what butterflies have meant to mankind across cultures and to individuals both obsessed and enthralled with these beautiful creatures. This is a great book for expanding your perspective on many fronts.

A Pleasure to Read Such Smart and Stunning Prose
I love this book! Where else would I learn that most butterflies taste with their feet, that a stage of caterpillar life is an "instar," and that ghost plants really do exist? As a poet, I appreciate the rhythm of Russell's lines. I learned not only about butterflies but also about the eccentric characters, Lepidopterists, that explore the world in search of new species. However, it is the way Russell connects us with the Painted Lady and the sex life of the Sharp Whites that I most admire. She bridges our daily lives with that of artful instruments of flight in such a way that we can't help but be changed for the better by the wisdom this book brings. An Obsession with Butterflies makes me glad to be alive. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Accessible?
The jacket blurb says this series comprises the most "accessible recognition guides." I'm not sure what that means, nor am I sure who this book is intended for but it wasn't me, nor, I suspect, any average backyard nature observer.

The illustrations are beautiful but as an identification guide it is totally useless. First, it is too inclusive. Butterflies and moths from the entire world are included, making its applicability limited. Worse, the insects are arranged not by color, size, habitat, or similar factor, but by their zoological family! If I were knowledgeable enough to have this information at my disposal, I probably wouldn't need a guide book. Finally, very few of the insects have an illustration of the caterpillar stage included.

My recommendation: if you want to identify moths or buttereflies, look for another guide. ... Read more

Book Description

Peterson First Guides are the first books the beginning naturalist needs.Condensed versions of the famous Peterson Field Guides, the First Guides focus on the animals, plants, and other natural things you are most likely to see.They make it fun to get into the field and easy to progress to the full-fledged Peterson Guides. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

We have a butterfly bush
We love to sit and watch the moths bees and butterflys come to our bushes (we actually have 7). With this book we have been able to identify the moths and butterflies.

A wonderful intro book!
This introductory field guide is much, much better than the old Little Golden Guide" that beginning Lepidoptrists (butterfly lovers) have relied on in the past. I wish I had had the new First Guide version a kid! It shows accurate color drawings of the most common species, along with the food plants and, in some cases, the other life stages such as larvae and pupae.

I especially like the fact that it includes so many moths -- not just the showy ones like Cecropias and Lunas that beginners dream about but seldom find -- but some of the little gray and brown ones, too, such as might show up any evening around your yard light. Plus, I finally found out that a grayish day-flying moth with a metallic-blue body that I see around here all the tiime is callled a "Southern Ctenucha."

As a Master Gardener volunteer, I currently recommend this to 4H-ers (and adults, too) who are just getting started in entomology. It's easy to use, and the light pocket size makes it nice for children to carry on field trips. Buy it along with "First Guide to Caterpillars" in the same series (which I have also reviewed here on Amazon). ... Read more

Book Description

This is a new addition to Glassberg's celebrated Butterflies through Binoculars series of field guides. As such, it rivals his earlier--and highly popular--Field and Finding Guide to Butterflies of the Boston-New York-Washington Region by providing an intensive focus on the butterflies and best butterflying sites for another highly populated and heavily traveled region. This time, the terrain in question is the state of Florida--one of the leading tourist destinations in the world.

Butterfly enthusiasts, nature lovers, and curious general readers will perhaps be surprised to learn that Florida's butterfly fauna is unique--and that, until the appearance of this volume, there has been no adequate field guide for the butterflies of this region. This guide simplifies identification by illustrating only species found in Florida--using superb photographs of live butterflies coupled with detailed range maps and identification data. It also offers, with unprecedented detail, much information on flight times and abundances for each of five Florida subregions, including reports on seventy localities in which to find butterflies. Lastly, discussions of the foodplants for each species along with suggestions for attracting these species to one's garden make this work invaluable for all Florida gardeners interested in butterflies. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Simply Superb
This is one of the best presented field guides I have ever seen. Each and every species of Florida butterfly is pictured and described. Most butterfly guides I've seen use pictures of preserved specimens in a collection. This can be confusing because parts of the wings normally hidden are exposed when the collected specimen is mounted. This book avoids this problem by using only pictures taken in the wild (except for a few rare species). No more unnatural poses!

The text is easily readable without extensive knowledge of obscure scientific words and has enough humor to keep it from getting dry and technical, but not so much that it overpowers the book.

This book deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone interested in Florida butterflies.

Best field guide for butterflies of the northeast
If you are looking for a filed guide to the butterflies of the northeastern United States, this is THE book to get. Written for a relatively small geographical area, the book contains only those butterflies likely to be seen in the regioon...unlike other guidebooks which offer many photos of butterflies not native to the regioon you are in. Excellent photos and the reduced subject area result in quick identifications. Although written for the northeast, the book is useful over a wider range...I have even used it in Texas to great effect. Don't put too much stock in the information about flight period and abundance, though. And don't expect much info on larval hostplants, etc ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Jewels of the Night
Moths generally get bad press. We think of clothes moths, tomato hornworm moths, cutworms, armyworms, bollworms, codling moths and the like before we think of io moths, luna moths, underwings or tiger moths. Butterflies, their daytime cousins (although as Himmelman points out there are a fair number of day-flying moths) are much more loved and studied.

John Himmelman, in writing "Discovering Moths: Nighttime Jewels in Your Own Backyard," has done much to redress this imbalance. His drawings and excellent photographs make this book a work of aesthetic beauty as well as a fascinating read.

Himmelman also discusses an interesting trend- the study of living insects, such as butterflies and dragonflies, has started to become at least as popular as collecting the same insects (in butterflies more so!). He sees a similar trend (but much slower) for moths. The last chapter of his book is in fact one of the better discussions of the ethics of taking of insect life for science or pleasure that I've ever read. While he does not like collecting himself, he understands the impulse, as well as the scientific interest. Unlike many butterflies (except skippers and some lycaenids - I know this from much experience as I am a participant and also an editor for the 4th of July Butterfly Count of the North American Butterfly Association), it is often difficult to identify moths (although it can be done to a degree). This is partly because of the shear number of species involved (11,000 species of moths in North America as opposed to about 700 or so butterflies), partly because of the similarity of many closely related moth species and partly because not all moths are yet known. Thus judicious collecting has its place. Still I have always thought in my more reflective moods that collecting should be only a prelude to study of the living insect. Like Himmelman I cannot condemn collecting (I am currently curating a collection of over 100,000 specimens at a state university and I was at one time an avid tiger beetle collector) but I do think that observation has a place and that place should be more exulted than it often is, without putting down the continuing contribution of the collector and taxonomist.

This is a great book for the entomologist and especially for those who like to explore new areas within the subject. There are unfortunately few books on moths. We are still awaiting a guide to western moths to match the Peterson Field Guide to the eastern species, and the Moth Book, by Holland, is way out of date- although still charming. Himmelman has gone a long ways down this road and I only hope more books like this will appear in the near future!

Fantastic overview
I'm new to learning about moths and was overwhelmed by some ofthe more techical id books - this one gives a terrific overview of the different families with beautiful pictures and drawings. There's even some moth poetry sprinkled in. There are chapters on moths through the seasons, history of moth study/people who have been key in id, moths during the day versus night, raising moths, and more. I just love it - just the intro I needed to be able to approach some of the other books with more of a grounding. The writing is very straightfoward, easy and fun to read.

I discovered moths!
As an avid butterfly watcher and birder, I couldn't help but notice the occasional moth while on my forays. I always found them interesting, and even picked up an old field guide to begin to learn them. While doing an internet search for moths, I discovered Mr. Himmelman's book and ordered it.

It arrived in the morning and by early evening I had read it cover to cover! Good thing it was a Saturday - Wow! While the topic is of moths, Himmelman could have been writing about any creature. His curiosity is contageous and he is a comfortable, and often humorous, guide to have accompany you through this topic. I feel like I know him.

I also love the line drawings sprinkled generously throughout (one shows godzilla going after mothra) and his beautiful photos! To the best of my knowledge there is no other book out there (I looked) that treats the "nightime jewels" with such passion, humor, and out and out information.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in nature. ... Read more

Book Description

This newly designed field guide features descriptions of 524 species of butterflies.One hundred color photographs as well as 348 color range maps accompany the species descriptions. The 541 exquisite color paintings clearly show even the most minute field marks. Introductory chapters include information on butterfly gardening, habitats, and conservation. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

We think Its Great!
I got this from my son who needed a field guide to take to the park and forests. He loves it and so do I. Before we had borrowed our local libraries' 1950 edition of butterfly field guild. What an improvement! Unlike some people we just love it. The pictures are easy to use in the open where you can just notice a few things before whats being observed takes off flying. Opler is very good at listing the most obvious ID factors for each species. And it fits great in a back pack!

Practically Useless
Teensy-weentsy photographs (of which there are few) and tiny drawings do not an identification tool make. Often, the verbal descriptions given for a butterfly do not match, nay, directly contradict the photograph or drawing included! The practice of providing a textual description on one page, a range map (if there even is one) on another, and yet a third page for the descriptive drawing make this a page-turning nightmare.

In short, take this book from your public library - don't waste your money on a very poorly done work.

ok for a field guide, if you don't mind getting frustrated.
As an amateur watcher just wanting to know which butterflies were in my garden, I was somewhat disappointed. I spent a great deal of time trying to compare the butterfly with the poorly represented plates. The few pictures scattered through the book were better, but I found errors in the identification given for the picture and the identification given in the plate and one was even not listed on the page they gave (or no where I have yet to find). The range listed were difficult for me to know if this species was in my backyard and not every species had a range map. These errors I found in one whole afternoon while trying to identify only THREE butterflies in my garden. Some of the book I like, like some of the intro information, but I guess other books have this info also. I was frustrated.

enerally good pocket guide to American butterflies
The maps in this book are a useful feature, but they are not provided for many of the species. The colour plates are very disappointing, as they often show only one gender of the butterflies and also ignore various subspecies and geographical variations. As the plates are made up drawings, it is often hard to identify species using this field guide, and the reader is left guessing as only the most common variation is shown. The text is quite well done, but moreadditions and details can be made. This book is hardly good as a main field guide (I greatly recommend "The butterflies of North America: a natural history and field Guide" by James A. Scott -- by far the best single-volume guide to American Butterflies), but it is useful as a pocket book that is light and does not take up much space.

I guess its still the best general guide, but ...
For almost half a century, Klots' Guide in the Peterson serieswas the best general text for identifying butterflies ineastern North America. I suppose this new edition still is,but it is a real disappointment in many respects. Itperpetuates the old style of illustration throughout withmuseum- spread specimens, many of which do not look at all theway butterflies are seen in the field. Skippers (where help isalways most needed) suffer particularly from this - surely amodern guide should also show them in side view, with wingsdeterminedly clamped together, with the useful body detailsand colouring and wing postures noted. Various scales are usedwilly nilly - it is not helpful to someone who needs a fieldguide to show the Great Spangled Fritillary the same size asthe Meadow Fritillary, for example. Several of the speciesthat strongly grade south to north in shade are shown in onlyone, southern, version - a Canadian would be hard put torecognize our Wood Nymph from the illustration here.Many species have more forms than are shown - Spring Azure forinstance. Some species are much more prone to sun-bleachingthan others - beginners would find a portion of an unwornMourning Cloak wing without a trace of yellow left, forexample, an instructive illustration of this....Given the rapidly increasing popularity of butterfly watching,the market is wide open for a better field guide. This one isa desk guide, for those who still carry a cyanide bottle withthem. ... Read more

Book Description

Monarch butterflies abound in Canada. We marvel at their beauty and the magic of their metamorphosis. Familiar as they are to us, these tiny creatures nevertheless harbour many secrets. Perhaps the deepest mystery is the monarchs' annual migration. Each autumn, they travel unimaginably long distances, something no other butterflies do. How do they know when to migrate? How, unguided by memory, do they navigate to their destination in the heart of the threatened Mexican jungle?

Sue Halpern recounts the mesmerizing story of these mysteries, and the race to solve them. She describes the discoveries of Canadian biologist Fred Urquhart and his wife, who first encouraged amateur lepidopterists to tag butterflies. We follow her to Mexico, where she searches for butterflies. She introduces us to Don Davis, an enthusiast who has tagged an estimated 20,000 monarchs since 1985. And though terrified of flying, she takes us on a flight with University of Toronto biologist David Gibo, as they attempt to predict the flight vectors of butterflies.

Astonishing, fascinating, Four Wings and a Prayer, like our encounters with these delicate winged creatures, is a rare gem. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Veryhting on the monarch butterfly!
Two hundred pages on a single insect might strike some readers as overkill, but the monarch butterfly deserves every one. As fall temperatures drop, monarch butterflies throughout the Eastern US and Canada migrate south of the Rio Grande. No one knows how they make this journey of several thousand miles (memory cannot guide them, since three or four butterfly generations pass in a year). No one even knew where they spent the winter until the 1970s, when researchers discovered that millions of migrating monarchs collect regularly in a few small patches of forest in the remote Neovolcanic mountains of Mexico, where they cover every visible surface and fill the air with the sound of their wings. This phenomenon has fascinated laymen as well as scientists. Halpern (Migrations to Solitude, not reviewed) was captivated after visiting a butterfly reserve during a Mexican vacation, and she manages to convey her enthusiasm to the reader. Rather than research the subject herself, she finds the experts and lets them tell the story. She drives a battered pickup to remote mountains (with a grizzled field biologist who has spent his life studying the monarch), visits universities where precise chemical analyses are teasing out the insect's secrets, and reports on the work of the amateurs (an often eccentric but dedicated group who are making important contributions-they have, for example, tagged tens of thousands of butterflies, many later recovered far across the continent). Inevitably, the author writes about the future (almost always a depressing subject when wildlife is involved) and points out that the monarch is not endangered, even if logging operations are steadily reducing its wintering habitat in Mexico. An appealing account. Author tour

Boring for non-devotees
I suppose if you are extremely interested in monarch butterflies you will find this book fascinating. I must admit I read only 100 pages. I enjoyed the beginning, when Halpern traveled to Mexico, but after page 100 the book was too academic, filled with the points of view of various monarch afficionados. Pretty dull stuff. I didn't think the writing was all that great, either. I suppose it was an academic success, but it didn't draw me in to the adventure.

it soars
Halpern has the precision of a scientist, the grace of a poet, and the passion of someone truly informed and alarmed by humanity's headlong tilt against the beauty and variety of our natural world. Never shying away from the complexities of her subject--scientists and nature-lovers from a rich and profligate country demanding preservation sacrifices from the peasants of a poor one--she writes a seamless, and ultimately very moving, tale of wonder.

Four Wings and a Prayer - caught in the morass of New Age
Author Sue Halpern has written a book about her time spent with people across North America who follow the supposed migration of Monarch Butterflies through the United States to Mexico. Entitled Four Wings and a Prayer - Caught in the Mystery of the Monarch Butterfly, the book chronicles her journeys throughout the US and Canada in pursuit of knowledge about the Monarch butterfly while detailing her interaction with the various butterfly enthusiasts (lepidopterists) that she meets along the way. Superficially, the book's subject would seem to hold much promise. Interesting people, little-known facts, sweeping vistas described in stirring detail; there would seem to much that this book could offer the reader, sadly, not much of it is here. Like far too many writers today, Halpern can't seem to keep herself out of the story. In the context of this book, which indeed includes some fine passages, Halpern's New Age navel- gazing is largely unwanted and often tiresome; "What is passion? I asked myself again." Halpern writes (and the reader cringes) and then goes on to wax philosophically about 'knowing before understanding' or some other such airy-fairy mysticism. It's unfortunate that in a book that offers glimpses of some true characters Halpern can't help interjecting herself. The reader is told that Bill Calvert is a legend among Lepidopterists not only for his research but for his passion and unique character, yet description of that character is largely limited to repeated references to his messy truck and trite answers to the questions of others. The reader can forgive Calvert this though after having been subjected to Halpern's rhetorical wonking - by the end of the book the reader suspects that Calvert might not have been so taciturn had the company been less vocal. Like so much literature today Halpern's Four Wings and a Prayer unfortunately attempts to serve up commonplace events as mystic happenings. Worse still, the story is overlaid with the trappings of New Age mysticism at its worst: the reader is treated to the writer's account of her attempt to think like a butterfly and to experience flight as known by a butterfly via a convenient flight in a glider. These events, which are silly and romanticised in themselves, in the context of the book enmesh the reader in a sickly treacle of breathless prose from which it is frustratingly hard to escape. Hard fact is confused with psuedo-intellectual fancy, buried beneath a style of writing which encompasses so much forced gravitas that the reader is wont to think that the appropriate response would be to cry while reading this book.

At 29.95 CAN and at 207 pages this book is certainly not a good buy for everyone. Those that ponder this book should do so at length. Contrary to the heartfelt testimony printed on the cover this book will probably not "change your life" nor is it "a book we have needed whether we knew it or not". This book may be life-affirming and transcendent to a crystal-wearing, latte- guzzling "wind spirit" but to the average reader, even to the inveterate naturalist, this book is bound to be a disappointment. If you want to read of one woman's spiritual awakening in the world of butterflies this might be the book for you; but for those truly interested in the fascinating sub-culture of the lepidopterist and their pursuit of the Monarch, your money is better spent elsewhere.

Magical, Poetic, Lyrical breathtaking
Sue Halpern has a gift of composition to describe the wonder of the Monarch Butterly that practically takes your breath away. The book begins with her journey with a butterfly tracker real life "Indiana Jones" character as they drive to the butterfly preserves in Mexico. Her description of her first visit there which happened earlier with her tiny daughter and the truly awesome, almost religious experience of the sound of millions of butterflies rustling wings and of butterflies alighting on her daughter walking up her arm, the child watching without fear takes you into this book like a lover invites you to be with her. This is a book for all ages, and will be a standard to invite readers to the mysteries and beauty of nature. It is also hoped that the book serves to help advocacy to preserve this miracle of nature which is taken foregranted by so many. Sue Halpern is a writer in the same pantheon as Barry Lopez and Farley Mowat in her research skills, her love of nature and her literary abilities. ... Read more

Book Description

Flying Flowers is an exquisite collection of intimate and up-close images of living butterflies by renowned nature photographer Rick Sammon.A mediation and celebration of one of nature's most beautiful creatures, Flying Flowers takes the reader on a visual journey into the miracle of transformation.The butterfly, with its amazing metamorphosis from a crawling caterpillar into a vivid and graceful winged creature, symbolizes the infinite potential within every living creature to evolve: from darkness into light, ugliness into beauty, lethargy into activity.The life of a butterfly is a coming of age story in the most profound sense.As such an exotic metaphor for transcendence and renewal, the butterfly has been celebrated in art, literature, dance, fashion, myth, and spirituality throughout history and in cultures around the world.Using groundbreaking digital photography, Sammon offers us a new view of these delicate insects in their natural habitat."The ability to see every shot immediately on my camera's LCD monitor allowed me to make critical exposure and lighting adjustments on site," explains Sammon."That was of the utmost importance, due to subject movement, changing lighting conditions and the reflectivity of some of the butterflies."The result of over a year's work on the subject, these luminous portraits come together in Flying Flowers like a Technicolor bouquet.From Mourning Cloaks to Hummingbird Moths, dozens of species are represented and identified with brief informational captions.Photographed in extreme close-up and stunning detail during all stages of life-emerging from the cocoon, taking flight, migrating in mass, or simply perched momentarily on a bloom or branch-Sammon's butterflies flutter across the page in a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of wings eyes, legs, and antennae. ... Read more

Book Description

An astonishing collection of images so vibrant they seem poised to fly off the page.

In a place where art, science and technology meet, Joseph Scheer’s images of moths emerge. These ubiquitous creatures are often considered drab-colored poor relations of the "beautiful" butterfly; Scheer’s artwork will forever change that notion. By using a high-resolution scanner, recently developed digital printing technology, and an artist’s sensibility, he brings forth the subtleties and astonishing varieties of color and textures that moths possess. The result is a glittering jewel box of brilliantly colored, intricately formed creatures, each with its own landscape of tiny hairs, kaleidoscopic color, iridescent eyes and antennae as intricate as filigree.

Scheer’s moth experiments started out as a fine art print installation to show a range of insects at large scale in a single room, and have now expanded into a biodiversity project with a significant number of specimens. This exquisitely produced volume features one hundred and fifty prints selected from Scheer’s extensive collection, images of such incredible depth and color you’ll want to reach out and touch them. Certainly you’ll never look at a moth the same way again. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

WOW!
This is one of the most remarkable books that I have encountered in a long long time. An artist friend who is aware of my tripartite interest in science, technology, and the arts grabbed me in the cafeteria last months & said that I "had to take a look at this". She was absolutely right. No, this ISN'T a scientific treatise on moths or a discourse on the natural history of insects, and one certainly wouldn't want to take it into the field to identify even the moths of the relatively small area sampled, BUT THAT ISN'T THE POINT! Instead one is treated to stunning imagery of animals that most of us either ignore entirely or slaughter with "bug-zappers" and poisons & seldom if ever grant the benefit of a second glance. Thanks to Scheer my children & I have had some very pleasant sessions simply sitting & turning the pages & the most frequent comment is the title of this review. "Wow!" indeed. Also Bravo to Scheer for giving us a wonderful look at a little seen & greatly under-appreciated subject.

Subtle yet stunning beauty ... This one is a treasure.
My reaction was very different from that of "a reader from Hamilton". To me, the images were stunning, exquisite both in detail and beauty, and required neither apology nor defence. The omission of more colourful moths from other parts of the world is hardly an objection: author Joseph Scheer collected his from within a specific area (upstate New York, I believe), and there is no indication that he had any interest in doing a "moths of the world" or even a "moths of the US". That he found such a wide variety in such a limited geographical range is already impressive. He had no need for more or different specimens to prove his point.

Some moths were striking, indeed -- drab is not a word one would apply to the Actias luna, by a long shot -- but I found myself delighting even more in the simple, subtle beauty of the shades of brown (Odontosia elegans), or white (Eudeilinia herminiata), or grey (Catocala relicta), next to which even the subdued reds and yellows of, say, Hypoprepia fucosa seemed almost gaudy. What beauty might be overlooked seeing these moths with the human eye alone was brought out superbly seeing them enlarged upon these plates, often with each hair and each scale distinct.

Yes, there were areas where the image was not as sharp as it should have been had this been a scientific work, where detail is all and aesthetics, however welcome, of secondary importance. For such a work, a camera might have been the better choice; Scheer, however, was interested in exploring the artistic potential of using a high-resolution scanner and an Iris printer. Frankly, I had not even noticed the fuzziness until I went looking for it after encountering the Hamiltonian reader's review. Now that I see it, I do not find it detracts in the slightest -- it is only natural that, when the human eye focuses on one part, other parts blur away. These images simply mimic this.

As for the size of the book (30 cm. x 36 cm., rounding fractions up) vis a vis the size of your bookshelves: let me answer your question, reader from Hamilton -- you store it lying flat, by preference. If you have absolutely no choice but to shelve it upright and your shelves are too shallow, rest it on its spine, and make sure there is adequate support on either side (as, indeed, you would for any book upright on the shelf). Never shelve a book fore-edge down, the strain on the binding is much too great.

Disapointing
Moths are some of the most beautiful creatures in the world and in many cases exceeding the beauty of the butterfly but you would not know it from the majority of specimens shown in this book. Many moths shown are different shades of browns or white and gray. Many beautiful USA moths are left out such as the "Royal Walnut" and the "Imperial" moth.

Without doing a lot of research the specimens shown all appear to be USA moths mainly east of the Missippi. Although these are great pictures there are some disturbing out of focus areas near the bodies of a few specimens.

In doing a book like this on the beauty of moths you should include some of the vast array of fantastically beautiful moths from other parts of the world to truly appreciate their beauty and leave out the dull browns and whites unless they have a striking pattern.

The other problem is this book will not fit in a book case as it is 12" x 14" in size. Most bookshelves are 12" deep so the final question is how do you store this 14" deep book - on its end? ... Read more

Book Description

Swallowtails, sulphurs, and skippers. Brushfoots, whites, and gossamer wings. So many different kinds of butterflies!

In her highly praised Style, Carol Lerner shows you how to lure these winged beauties into your garden. She vividly depicts flowers that attract hungry butterflies, as well as plants where they leave their eggs. Her clear text explains what butterflies eat and how they grow -- from caterpillars to full-grown fliers.

Every bright butterfly inside this book also appears on the endpapers. Can you match them all? With some practice, you'll soon be able to identify those that come to your own butterfly garden.

Reviews (1)

For the littlest lepidopterists
Butterfly meets flower in this well illustrated picture book. Each page includes several butterflies and flowers. The butterflies are all idientified on the end pages, but are not named throughout the book. The flowers are, however, and one can make a game of identifying each butterfly on the pages, just as you might in your own garden, and take note of the flowers each species prefers. Butterflies in this book are categorized by family, so you can make an educated guess as to the type of those butterflies which fly into your yard that are not represented in the book. The large format is simple and uncluttered...perfect for emerging lepidopterists. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Butterfly House Companion Guide
If you love visiting of the new year-round butterfly houses popping up around the U.S., you can't live without this book. It is an excellent companion to your walks through the conservatories.

Butterflies of the World
If you want to know the anatomy and physiology of butterflies this is the book to get. It tells you EVERYTHING about butterflies and has beautiful, colorful pictures to add to this great book. It has so much detail... a very comprehensive addition to your library. And it looks so nice you'll want it on top of your cocktail table! ... Read more

Book Description

This new edition of the classic handbook describes how to attract butterflies and other beneficial and beautiful insects to you garden.

Butterfly Gardening presents everything the gardener needs to know to create intricate, small-scale ecosystems in an urban or suburban setting that can substitute for the rapidly vanishing habitats that are essential to the survival of butterflies.Contributors to this volume include Miriam Rothschild, an eminent entomologist, avid butterfly gardener and expert in wildflower conservation, who describes the life cycle of the butterfly, how and what they see, and how this relates to "gardening with butterflies."Landscape architect Mary Booth provides imaginative garden designs and easy-to-follow direction for designing and planting.Edward S. Ross, pioneer of close-up nature photography, discusses observing and photographing butterflies.

The book also includes a "Master Plant List" of species that attract butterflies, butterfly food plants listed geographically, seed and plant sources, a list of gardening and conservation organizations, and a bibliography of books and periodicals about butterflies. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excellent resource...
BUTTERFLY GARDENING is a collection of interesting essays about butterflies. Chapters cover gardening tips, including an annotated list of plants that attract butterflies, and various other butterfly related topics such as: "What do butterflies see?"; "The struggle to survive"; "The life cycle of the large white butterfly"; and "Moths in the garden at night." If you love butterflies, you will probably enjoy this book but it won't go a long way toward helping you identify the Red Admiral you spotted on the Frikartii Aster yesterday. Another reviewer referred to this as a starter book, but I don't think of it as that at all although it does introduce a number of important topics.

The book includes a few "designs" for butterfly gardens, but they are general, and you would do better to use the garden designs in THE AUDUBON BACKYARD BIRD WATCHER. Let's face it, where the birds are is where their dinner is and dinner for birds is often the larval stage of moths and butterflies. The plant lists in BUTTERFLY GARDENING are adequate. Certainly the best thing to plant is Buddleia..the butterfly bush. This morning I saw three Monarch butterflies on my lavendar flowered Buddleia. The bush also supports a Grandpa Otts morning glory vine which produces flowers that are a dark bluish purple which changes to a purplish magenta. The butterflies were flitting from flower to flower and the color combo was a knockout.

This little book has much to recommend it. From BUTTERFLY GARDENING I learned the value of Parsley for larvae and that no matter how many butterfly boxes one hangs the little critters are visitors not tenants.

best butterfly gardening book!
This book actually takes you past the very basic of plant lists (primarily US native plants) and arranging your garden (although it has all that too). It gets into things like a chapter on what butterflies see, their life cycles, butterfly watching tips, conservation, photography,pictures of caterpillars, etc. The photos are fantastic - not just pictures of butteflies on flowers but really close-up pictures of the wings, and butterflies in flight. They also include information on moths which is neat. This book is above and beyond the best book I've seen on butterfly gardening. For those who want to not only attract butterflies but also know what's going on and understand some of their world, this is a great book. I'd buy it all over again!!

Excellent guide book
I'm an up and coming butterfly gardener. This book had a great deal of information to share not only regarding what species of flowers to plant, but also about the life cycles of the butterfly and the importance of planting your garden for the entire life cycle - from egg, to caterpillar, to butterfly Discussion focused on butterfly/larva predators and how important they are to the cycle. Tips on photography, particularly in the dark were helpful. The pictures of the butterflies and flowers were exquisite! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and the information in it will go a long way in helping me create my dream garden.

A great starter book as well as an advanced resource.
This book gives you comprehensive advice on starting and appreciating a butterfly garden in a small, and easily digestible package. It includes sections on butterfly natural history and identification, garden design, sample garden plans, a plant guide, predators, photography and conservation. It's a great starter book for those interested in creating their own garden but also has a good appendix section for those who want to get a little deeper into the subject. This would make a great gift for someone wanting to start his or her own garden. ... Read more

Book Description

This book discusses all 331 species of butterfly seen in Arizona.It is illustrated 557 full, half and quarter page photographs taken under natural conditions by the authors and several other professional insect photographers.Opposite each photograph is essential information that includes key field marks, time of year the adult flies, caterpillar food plant, range and habitat in Arizona and pertinent biological and behavioral notes.There is an extensive food plant list edited by botanists Richard Felger and Michael Wilson. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Superb State Guide!
This is an absolutely marvelous work on the Butterflies of Arizona, and undoubtedly one of the finest state field guides ever created. Includes a topography section (map of the basic parts of a butterfly), concise taxonomic list of species with lots of great photos, selected larvae of certain species, selected predators, and a 'Rare Butterflies' section, which covers the rarities that have been discovered primarily in the southeastern corner of the state. One other thing I especially liked was the Appendix of butterflies listed with their respective host plants. A super, must-have addition to any butterfly library!

A good book
A useful book covering the butterflies of Arizona. It is about the same physical dimensions as the Sibley Guide to Birds - a little large for a field guide, but still manageable.

The book is comprised of species descriptions on the left hand side of each facing pair of pages, with beautiful full color photographs of the relevant species on the right hand page. No more flipping between various sections of the book to match text and photos! The species descriptions include distribution within Arizona and general distribution in neighboring states, flight time, description, habitats, host plants and similar species.

There is also a small section on larvae, predators, and parasites.

This book is quite an achievement, I recommend it wholeheartedly. ... Read more

Book Description

This all-new edition includes more than 590 species, illustrated in lifelike positions on beautiful new color plates. With descriptions of all the butterflies that occur west of the 100th meridian in the United States and Canada, this guide has accurate information on ranges, habitats, flight seasons, food plants, and more. Brand-new color range maps and more than 100 color photographs accompany the species descriptions. Paul Opler is the author of several books, including the Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies. He is a professor and senior research scientist at Colorado State University and a vice president of the North American Butterfly Association. Amy Bartlett Wright wrote and illustrated the Peterson First Guide to Caterpillars and illustrated the Peterson First Guide to Butterflies and Moths. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Standard for Butterfly Watchers
"A Field Guide to Western Butterflies" by Paul Opler is the book I use as a standard when taking part in the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) 4th of July Butterfly Count. It is by far the best book to use in the field. I prefer the artist's illustrations to a totally photographic approach for accurate identification because several aspects of the same species can be shown on a given plate. In addition there are a number of complementary photos of butterflies in natural habitats inserted in the text and distribution maps are placed next to the species descriptions.

The discussions are very useful in locating food plants and in confirming field marks and distributions. Even tiny lycaenids and difficult skippers are usually identified easily once you get used to the format. All in all this is the book to have for identifying butterflies in the west and it outshines all its competitors for handiness in the field. Combined with a pair of short-focus binoculars and a good butterfly net for capture and release it just cannot be beaten.

If you are a butterfly watcher in the west you really need to own this book!

A Must-Have for Lepsters!
In the first part of this excellent field guide, families of butterflies are presented together on color plates, ably illustrated by Amy Bartlett Wright. This allows the reader to compare similar looking species--a must with hard-to-differentiate groups like the Blues, where minute differences mean the difference between one genus and another. The illustrations are cross-referenced to fuller descriptions in the second part of the book. Here there is additional information about appearance, food, habitat, flight, and range. As a beginner, I especially like author Paul Opler's decision to organize the butterflies by taxon rather than appearance. As I identify butterflies in the field, I am also learning a bit about the science of these beautiful creatures. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

A pocket guide to the identification of common butterflies in North America, with full color throughout, tips on identifying butterflies, and the times of year when each can be spotted. ... Read more

Book Description

Butterflies are hot! No one knows this better than butterfly expert, gardener and lecturer Patti Putnam and her butterfly expert spouse - gardener and photojournalist Milt Putnam. Featuring outstanding color photographs with nuggets of important information on each butterfly, the Putnams have assembled an easy-to-use, easy-to-carry field guide to North America's 50 most popular butterflies. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A strongly recommended pick for all butterfly enthusiasts!
Herbert Clarke's gorgeous and colorful photos (over 250 of them) fill butterfly expert Fred Heath's An Introduction To Southern California Butterflies with clear close-ups of Southern California butterflies, enabling identification of almost 90 species and highlighting their favorite foods and plants. Heath has lectured, led field trips, and written many articles about the butterflies in his area: his region-specific Introduction To Southern California Butterflies is a strongly recommended pick for all butterfly enthusiasts! ... Read more

Book Description

The ancient Greeks considered the butterfly a symbol of immortalitybecause of its astonishing beauty and grace. In this stunning book, butterfliesare displayed as never before through exceptional photographs that capture thestriking detail of their wings as well as the surprising beauty of every momentof life—from eggs and caterpillars to chrysalis and final birth. Thephotographer's special techniques and hours of patience—all of the butterfliesat their various stages were photographed alive—allow the reader to perceive thevoluptuousness of a wing surface or the step-by-step opening of a chrysalis.From the common to the very rare, Butterfly is a unique homage thattransforms these gorgeous insects into works of art. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent - Beautifully Photographed
This is a memorable book full of huge pictures beautifully shot by photographer Paul Starosta. I like the large format and the printing qulality. Examining the caterpillar and its metamorphosis into a butterfly is one of the great photo essays in the book. There are great photos of a huge assortment of butterflies and moths in this book with good info on the species and their geographic data. The emphasis is on pictures, so if you're into the mistery and beauty of butterflies this book will not dissapoint. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The development and evolution of butterfly wing patters: rev
The title of this volume is an understatement: this book has necesary information for anyone who would understand the basis of butterfly classification, identification, and speciation. Check the table of contents. The contributions are of the highest level. See especially the annex. ... Read more