Reviews (3)

Pleased and alsovery disappointed
I looked forward to receiving this book and the caterpillar photos are beyond compare except for a couple that are too dark. For those who have raised caterpillars and been interested in them these photos are magnificant.
The Beautiful Caterpillars
This book will change the way you feel about caterpillars. It transforms them from ugly pests into objects of beauty and of intellectual fascination. Based on more than twenty-five years of field research in the tropics by Janzen and Hallwachs and their assistants, it contains not only magnificent photos but also a wealth of information on the behavior and ecology of the species represented. It is at the same time a wonderful coffee table book and a great naturaly history read. In sum, I loved this book, and intend to give it as Christmas presents to all of my nature-loving friends.

Don't Forget the Larvae
We don't generally like insects much, remembering how they sting, sicken, or impoverish us, and forgetting that they do us invaluable service in the reproduction of new generations of countless plant species.We do like butterflies because they are so beautiful and harmless, but we do not like caterpillars because they are squirmy and eat our plants.There are countless books featuring pictures of beautiful butterflies and moths, but few featuring the larval forms of the insect.A look at _100 Caterpillars: Portraits from the Tropical Forests of Costa Rica_ (The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press) by Jeffrey C. Miller, Daniel H. Janzen, and Winifred Hallwachs shows that the emphasis on the flying forms may be misplaced.The gorgeous, large-format pictures here show all the colors of which adult butterflies can boast, plus an enormous variation in patterns, spikes, hairs, body plans, and more.Indeed, after the hundred photographs, there is a section of the book devoted to detailed descriptions of the behavior and ecology of each caterpillar, and for each there is a small picture of the adult into which it will grow.Almost all the adults are more drab and less interesting than their larvae.
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Subjects:  1. Butterflies & Moths    2. Caterpillars    3. Costa Rica    4. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    5. Insects & Spiders    6. Nature    7. Nature / Field Guide Books    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Pictorial works    10. Butterflies    11. Insects (entomology)    12. Nature / Butterflies   

Reviews (4)

Enjoy Butterflies In Your Yard Or On Your Patio
I love the Stokes Nature Guides. I've owned The Butterfly Book for years. I found that when I followed the book's recommendations and put plants for both caterpillars and adult butterflies in my yard that my enjoyment of butterflies grew. I love all of the pictures of caterpillars and found the instructions for raising caterpillars helpful.
Bird lovers...become butterfly enthusiasts...
I've been enchanted with birds ever since I observed my parents whistling and mocking the mockingbirds who mocked them back. I've been a gardener forever, cursing those creepy caterpillers who devoured this and that. In the past few years I've taken a greater interest in butterflies, and lo what do I discover...the creepy caterpillers turn into the beautiful butterflies if the birds don't eat them first. I knew that of course because like lots of kids, I too brought home the cocoon found on some branch and kept it in a glass jar with holes punched in the top until it did not "hatch." Yes, I said did NOT. I never had any success with this effort so I forgot about caterpillers and cocoons--until I opened STOKES BUTTERFLY BOOK and there are those darn cocoons again. Handy guide
The two things I liked best about this book are the pages devoted toidentifying butterflies by color (it groups them so that if you see onethat is predominantly orange, you can look at the page of orangebutterflies to find the one you're trying to identify), and the pagesdevoted to creating an attractive butterfly garden, with schemes showinghow to arrange plants that attract butterflies. It's not a technical book,thereby making it a good guide for backyard butterfly enthusiasts. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Behavior    2. Butterflies    3. Butterflies & Moths    4. Butterfly gardening    5. Identification    6. Lepidoptera    7. Nature    8. Nature / Field Guide Books    9. Nature/Ecology    10. North America    11. Insects (entomology)    12. Nature / Butterflies   

Reviews (6)

The Butterflies of Costa Rica
After traveling different countries and using various field guides, I can say that this one needs a lot of improvement. This book only covers a small section of species.The specimens that are used are tattered and some are difficult to use for ID purposes. In most guides, the photo description on the left usually include the page number for the text, this one doesn't. So, you have to check the name and look to the index to cross over to the text page.Speaking of names, they are only called by the Latin scientific name.This is probably not a big issue since most do not have one.
A wonderful book
The diversity of life in the tropics is such that a tome like this covers just three of families of butterflies, not the whole lepidopteran fauna as other reviewers have pointed out. Nevertheless, these three are both important and conspicuous, including some of the most beautiful and sought after of tropical butterflies such as the Morphos, Owl Butterflies and Heliconiids. And, because of the paucity of literature for this region, this guide will prove useful well beyond the frontiers of Costa Rica where many of the same genera and even species occur - I use it all the time in Venezuela for example.
butterly museum
This book along with the photo essay book "Costa Rica : The Last Country the Gods Made" should be owned by anyone who loves Costa Rica, even if they think they despise nature studies as dry and limited. Buy it just for the color plates. This book's spirit is undeniable. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Butterflies    2. Costa Rica    3. Insects    4. Lepidoptera    5. Nature / Field Guide Books    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Insects & spiders    8. Insects (entomology)   

Reviews (1)

Beautiful presentation by internationally recognized expert
The more than thousand full-color specimen photographs in "The Encyclopedia of Butterflies" were taken at the Allyn Museum of Entomology/Florida Museum of Natural History, which houses one of the world's largest butterfly collections. This encyclopedia includes all of the world's butterflies, arranged in four family groups: the swallowtails (Papilionidae); the whites and sulfurs (Pieridae); the brush-footed butterflies (Nymphalidae); and the hairstreaks, coppers, and blues (Lycaenidae).Read more

Subjects:  1. Butterflies    2. Dictionaries    3. Encyclopedias    4. Lepidoptera    5. Nature / Field Guide Books    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Insects (entomology)   

Reviews (2)

Great considering its size
For a book with the "footprint" of a postcard, this guide has a boatload of useful information and truly superb photos.The descriptions are brief but highlight a few interesting facts about each species; all contain basic entries about identification, habitat, range, and life cycles.Each entry is accompanied by a gorgeous full color photo of the butterfly viewed from above and a smaller side view (the latter are so small that their usefulness is somewhat compromised, but they're better than nothing).No photos of the caterpillars.

Familiar Butterflies of North America
The size makes it very convenient for use while observing. Species pictures on the left hand pages in the upper left corner are most useful when the pages are fanned for quick identification. Information on thatparticular member of the species is excellent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Butterflies    2. Butterflies & Moths    3. Identification    4. Lepidoptera    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North America    9. Pictorial works    10. Nature / Butterflies   

Reviews (1)

FABULOUS World for Butterflies!
As an educator and butterfly enthusiast I whole-heartedly recommend this book. Phil Schappert has done an amazing job at providing clear, easy-to-understand information about one of the world's most amazing insects. Remember learning about butterflies when you were a kid (probably learned a lot of incorrect material!)? Well, you will see pictures of what goes on in the butterfly world from this expert. The glossary provides a fabulous list of lep terms-just awesome! No butterfly afficionado should be without this book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Butterflies    2. Butterflies & Moths    3. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    4. Insects & Spiders    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature Photography    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Reference    10. Wildlife Conservation    11. Butterflies - Identification    12. Nature / Insects & Spiders   

Reviews (7)

Wonderful book on many levels
This is a beautiful book which can enjoyed on many levels. It reads like both a how to book as well as a tale of a gardener transforming spaces into gardens that attract birds and butterflies. The photographs are so wonderful you could spend hours without touching that spade.
Wonderful
I purchased 2 books and am looking forward to giving them as gifts at Christmas.They are wonderful.Great pictures, great info, great quality and great idea's.I'm real happy with them.

Essential Guide to Nurturing Nature
Author Kris Wetherbee and Husband/Photographer Rick Wetherbee have combined the very best in subject, talent and creativity to develop a "must read" on nurturing nature in our back yards that is sure to be a best seller. Informative and entertaining to both novice and master gardener alike, Kris' simple yet thorough "three year plan" for attracting and keeping specific "Winged Wonders" in the garden, is genius. Likewise Rick's spectacular photography abundantly displayed, exemplifies the breathtaking beauty of various "creatures of flight" and the many simple and natural ways they can be nurtured, enhanced and enjoyed year round. Kris and Rick Wetherbee have combined powerful talents to create an essential guide and referential "must have" for all who love nature. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bird attracting    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Butterflies & Moths    4. Butterfly attracting    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Wildlife    9. Nature / Butterflies    10. STUDY AIDS - Series Study Guides   

Subjects:  1. Butterflies & Moths    2. Nature    3. Nature / Field Guide Books    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Reference    6. Sale Books   

Subjects:  1. Butterflies    2. Butterflies & Moths    3. Identification    4. Nature    5. Nature / Field Guide Books    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Texas, West   

Reviews (1)

the review of a lifetime
Well this book was quite interesting, but in my opinion it could of had more facts about each and every butterfly. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Butterflies & Moths    3. Nature    4. Nature / Field Guide Books    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Reference    7. Nature / Animals    8. Sale Books   

Subjects:  1. Butterflies    2. Butterflies & Moths    3. General    4. Nature    5. Nature / Field Guide Books    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America   

Editorial Review

Sue Halpern, a gifted student of the natural world, has a knowing passion for butterflies--"not love, exactly, offered suddenly, but a similar quickening of heart and desire ... tugging on my imagination as if it were a loose sleeve."Read more

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Reviews (6)

Caught up in the Mystery; Review from an Oklahoma State University Student
I liked this book because of the facts it includes and the connections it makes between science and human feelings.Over the ages many people have been amazed by the monarch butterfly's migration every year; however very few are interested enough to understand their complexity.Sue Halpern is one of the few who is interested enough to attempt to solve the mystery.In her book Four Wings and a Prayer: Caught in the Mystery of the Monarch Butterfly she reports her findings, in a fast-paced interesting research narrative.Halpern gives the reader a plethora of information while telling her story of how she became fascinated with the Monarch Butterfly. Even though she was not a biologist, the story she told of her adventures was chronologically organized and seemed like a field journal that a biologist would have written.Her field journal (the book), was filled with scientific facts, interviews, personal experiences, and the special feature of maps to trace the monarch migration.In addition to facts, she pours out her feelings about the issue of conserving the monarchs and the importance of their survival.Connecting human feelings to science is one of the strong points of Mrs. Halpern's writing.This is one of the strongest points of the book.Another related point that Halpern makes is that passion and science lay hand in hand. Halpern reminisces, "As a child I collected rocks. . . I did remember the single mindedness through which I picked through the woods behind my house, and the pure joy of finding something . . . It seemed reasonable to call this passion, and to think of myself - and everyone else - as a collection of passions" (9).This is one of many of the comparisons Halpern makes between passion and science.Passion plays an important role in the world of science because it drives scientists to continue looking, just like Halpern continued to look for her rocks.This book is strong in communicating the connection between science and human feelings.I hope this review was helpful to you in choosing a book.

Promises but doesn't deliver . . . pass this one up!
I read a brief review of this book in the NYT Book Review and it sounded exciting and enlightening . . . alas, it's quite dull and offers surprisingly little information whether or not you're a butterfly fancier. To tell the truth, I read the second half of the book just to find out what in the world she could possibly fill all those pages with! There are a few neat facts about monarchs, and intriguing portraits of a few eccentric lepidopterists, but the rest is statements like "we really don't know [fill in blank] about these butterflies" and vague, unsatifying rhapsodizing by the author about her seemingly inexplicable passion for winged creatures--not to mention rather unremarkable mutterings about the nature of passion itself. This type of nonfiction can really sing--"The Orchid Thief," for example, though it definitely has its flaws, is nevertheless a fascinating read. Diane Ackerman's "Natural History of the Senses" is totally engaging as well. Or on a slightly different note, Judith Hooper's "Of Moths and Men" is a riveting portrayal of the controversy and scientific backbiting surrounding the peppered moth and Darwin's theory of natural selection. Contemporary nonfiction has come a long way, but "Four Wings" just falls flat.

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. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Butterflies & Moths    2. Lepidoptera    3. Monarch butterflies    4. Monarch butterfly    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Research    9. Nature / Butterflies    10. Bargain   

Reviews (2)

A great identification and locator guide.
The late Dr. Woodbury has accumplishedwhat few other butterfly authors have been able to do with his The Butterflies of Delmarva which is to write about an arcane subject such as the Lepidopterous creatures around us andmake it understandable to the casual nature lover as well as theexperienced pro. He achieves this difficult task by illustrating the living butterflies with beautiful and informative color photos. Each photoclearly shows identifying characteristics of almost every one of theresident and stray butterflies inhabiting or visiting the Delmarvapenninsula. This makes field observations and identifications surprisinglyeasy. For example, after studying Dr. Woodbury's excellent photo of Papiliopolyxenes asterius (The Black Swallowtail) and comparing it with the fineone of Papilio troilus (The Spicebush Swallowtail) I am sure that even thebeginner will find he or she can quickly tell one from the other when facedwith identifying that next big black butterfly flittering and fluttering inthe meadow. This little gem of a book would be worth the money for thephotos alone, but there is much more offered here as well. Dr. Woodburyaccurately and concisely describes the actual locality where eachof theindividual species occurs as well as the hostplants where the caterpillarsof each species may be found and the nectaring plants for the adults aswell! Had Dr. Woodbury included the Superfamily Hesperioidea (theSkippers)of Delmarva,I would have gladly afixed the fifth star in myreview.

What a disapointment!
When I ran across this book in a store one day, I quickly bought it. What a disappointment. Mr. Woodbury's photographs are excellent, and can be seen in a number of field guides, but the information accompanying this book is useless. For example, Mr. Woodbury lists the Regal Fritillary, shows a photo, and gives a range description without once mentioning that this butterfly has not been recorded from the eastern United States for many years, outside a few local populations. One is left with the impression that this is a butterfly that may be seen commonly. It appears that the text of this book was quickly thrown together to get it into print. Recommended for the photos only ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Butterflies    2. Butterflies & Moths    3. Delmarva Peninsula    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology   

Reviews (1)

Great!
Butterflies of Southeastern Arizona is an extraordinatilly complete and well researched guidebook to the butterflies of this rich and diverse area.I would highly recommend it to anyone with a serious interest in lepidoptera or the Southwest. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arizona    2. Butterflies    3. Butterflies & Moths    4. Identification    5. Nature / Field Guide Books    6. Nature/Ecology   

Subjects:  1. Butterflies    2. Butterflies & Moths    3. Life Sciences - Zoology - Entomology    4. Nature / Field Guide Books    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Southwestern States   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Butterflies & Moths    3. Nature / Field Guide Books    4. Nature/Ecology   

Subjects:  1. Butterflies & Moths    2. Nature    3. Nature / Field Guide Books    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Reference    6. Sale Books   

Reviews (4)

Typical Peterson
Typical of all the Peterson guides. This one has all the information one normally needs. It also is arranged in sometimes frustrating sections which require one to go to several sections for a complete profile of the subject matter. I simply do not want to spend the time going back and forth in the book when I simply want basic information on one insect.

great pocket guide
A simple, easy to take along guide. The photos, and brief descriptions make it easy to identify the Butterflies and Moths you come across.

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. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Butterflies    2. Entomology    3. Identification    4. Lepidoptera    5. Nature / Field Guide Books    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Insects & spiders   

Reviews (13)

It's still THE classic pocket identification guide!
When you get it right the first time, why mess with sure thing?Originally published in 1962 (I think) this classic little Golden Guide needs no updating or improvement.The illustrations are are lively and realistic, the maps are accurate, and the text is extremely well written and interesting.Not only does this old standby still serve its purpose well, it's still THE book I still reach for the most when I'm ID-ing butterflies and moths in my own backyard.I'm glad this guide wasn't doomed to "out of print" status.It deserves a place on every butterfly and moth-observer's bookshelf.
fine pocket guide
This is a nice pocket-sized handbook for identifying, collecting and raising butterflies, skippers and moths.The introductory chapter describes the order Lepidoptera and details the equipment needed for capture and care of these lovely creatures, and includes a short bibliography.Subsequently, color and b&w drawings of adults, pupae and caterpillars along with distribution maps of North America help with identification, and short paragraphs give information about feeding and regional variations.This handy guide ends with a list of scientific names and an index.This would be a fine introduction for the older child or beginning adult lepidopterist.

Excellent!
For being just a tiny pocket guide this book is terrific!It has most of the common butterflies and moths as the title indicates but what I especially love is that it also shows the caterpillars!Its great to have these side by side so that if you find a caterpillar you can id it and see what its going to turn into.Really great reference. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Butterflies    2. Caterpillars    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Identification    5. Moths    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. North America   

Reviews (14)

Eh
I thought An Obsession with Butterflies was... okay.
Invitation to a Winged World
Naturalist Sharman Russell once again leads the reader into territory where few humans tread, in this case into the realm of butterflies and moths. Using extensive research, including interviews with experts, literature reviews, and facts culled from scientific papers, Ms. Russell explains secret lives of butterflies and their habitats. She also reveals the characters of some humans who devote their lives to study and to preserve this often-overlooked member of the insect realm. The author's gentle grasp of humor, irony and poetic language makes often-complex information accessible--in short, lyrical chapters-- to the layperson. This book brings all the wonder and fragile beauty of butterflies into your mind.

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. Read more

Subjects:  1. Butterflies    2. Butterflies & Moths    3. Butterfly watching    4. Collection and preservation    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Popular works    9. Science