Great Book for Butterfly Identification and Gardening

 

            If you have children or grandchildren, if you have any interest in butterflies, or if you are thinking about butterfly gardening – there is one book you must have.  The Life Cycles of Butterflies, by Judy Burris and Wayne Richards, is the best butterfly book on the market today.

            Butterfly identification can be challenging.  Many comprehensive guide books show you hundreds of butterflies that can found all over the world.  This book is not one of them.  This book only covers twenty-three of the common butterflies you will find in Virginia and surrounding states. The authors simplify identification by eliminating all the exotic butterflies you might find in tropical rainforests on other continents. 

            The book’s layout is comprehensive yet very logical and simple to use, with only 150 pages and plenty of photographs.  For each species, there are photographs that show the egg, the caterpillar and the mature butterfly.  But in the back of the book you will find easy comparison guides showing a side-by-side comparison of eggs, caterpillars and also chrysalises for quick reference.

            In addition to butterfly identification made easy, the authors also simplify butterfly gardening, with separate sections for nectar plants and host plants.  One thing that makes this book different from others is that the authors are not entomologists or scientists, they are avid butterfly gardeners.  They speak to their readers as one gardener speaks to another.  The book offers a handy “top ten” list of plants that attract butterflies, followed by a more detailed listing of the plants, recommended varieties and photographs.  Host plants are listed along with plant descriptions and detailed photographs showing each plant as well as the butterfly associated with it.

            It isn’t often that you can find all of the answers to all of your questions in a single book.  The Life Cycles of Butterflies is such a comprehensive, yet easy to use guide, you will want to buy several, one for yourself and one as a gift for a gardening friend or a special child in your life.