Book Description
Walking a forest trail in Costa Rica, a visitor might be struck by the sight of an iridescent blue morpho butterfly fluttering ahead in the filtered daylight, or an enormous silk moth, as magnificently patterned and subtly colored as a Persian carpet, only emerging to fly at night. Elsewhere, vivid yellow and orange sulphur butterflies flock to puddles to sip the concentrated minerals. Such is the dazzling variety of the butterflies and moths unique to this region.
Gathered by biologists Daniel Janzen and Winifred Hallwachs in the forests of northwestern Costa Rica, 100 tropical butterflies and moths represent the diversity in large-format photographs by Jeffrey Miller that document the dizzying variety of shapes, colors, and markings. The photographs are accompanied by species accounts and images of the corresponding caterpillar. The authors recount these insects' feats of mimicry and migration, lift the veil on their courtship, and show how the new technology of DNA barcoding is changing the picture of Lepidopteran biodiversity.
The authors also tell the success story of Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, where the long-term work of Janzen and Hallwachs, a team of caterpillar collectors, and the participation of neighboring farming communities has deepened understanding of Costa Rica's Lepidoptera and has brought about advances in restoration ecology of tropical habitats, biodiversity prospecting, biotechnology, and ecotourism development.
Customer Reviews:
100 Butterflies and Moths: Portraits from the Tropical Forests of Costa Rica.......2007-09-07
Excellent! details in text and photographs. Highly recommended for biologists and folks interested in wild life.
Costa Rican Leps.......2007-05-24
This ia an excellant book that combines coffe-table quality photographs of the butterflies and moths with an excellent text describing interesting aspects of their biology.
Average customer rating:
- Watch a train wreck
- Deterioration
- The Story of You and Me
- Plummetting
- good book
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Moth Smoke
Mohsin Hamid
Manufacturer: Farrar Straus & Giroux (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0374213542 |
Amazon.com
Since the late 1970s, India in all her infinite variety has been brought to life as a posse of Indian authors writing in English have exploded onto the scene: Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai, Rohinton Mistry, Vikram Seth, Bharati Mukherjee--the list is legion. But what of Pakistan--that Siamese twin, painfully separated in the partition of 1947? Though neither as numerous nor as well known as their Indian counterparts, Pakistani writers are beginning to make an impression on Western readers. Novelists from Rushdie to the Pakistani Bapsi Sidwha have written about the partition and the bloody civil war that followed; even stories set in modern-day Bombay or Lahore cannot escape the aftershocks of the division. On the surface, Mohsin Hamid's first novel, Moth Smoke, seems more domestic than political drama: narrated from several different perspectives, it tells the story of Daru Shezad's ill-fated affair with his best friend's wife, Mumtaz. But in a country like Pakistan, the personal and the political are difficult to separate, and as the story moves along, the divisions between gender, class, and opportunity provide a not-so-subtle commentary on the fissures that run through contemporary Pakistani society. The novel begins, tellingly, with a historical fragment about the internecine wars of succession that followed the rule of Emperor Shah Jahan (builder of the Taj Mahal):
Imprisoned in his fort at Agra, staring at the Taj he had built, an aged Shah Jahan received as a gift from his youngest son the head of his eldest. Perhaps he doubted, then, the memory that his boys had once played together, far from his supervision and years ago, in Lahore.
Jump ahead several hundred years to Lahore in the summer of 1998. Childhood playmates Daru and Ozi have just reunited again after Ozi's three-year stay in America. Glad as he is to see his old friend, Daru can't keep his eyes off of Ozi's wife, Mumtaz. "You know you're in trouble when you can't meet a woman's eye," he says. But woman trouble isn't his only problem; he's also addicted to hash, which leads to his dismissal from an upscale job as a banker. Soon Daru spirals out of control into a degraded existence on the fringes of society. Then a young boy is killed in a hit-and-run accident, and he is accused and jailed. Shah Jehan would probably recognize this age-old story of love and revenge playing out once more--this time against the backdrop of the Indian-Pakistani arms race. Hamid artfully weaves the subcontinent's tragic history into his characters' no-less-tragic present, rendering Moth Smoke a novel that resonates on many levels. --Sheila Bright
Book Description
A fast-paced first novel that paints a dazzling portrait of contemporary Pakistan
When Daru loses his job as a banker in Lahore, he begins a long fall from grace that cascades the length of this lively and inventive tale. Too clever for his own good, he descends into drug dealing, then heroin addiction. Unable to pay the electricity bill, he rapidly loses power, literally and metaphorically, in a society increasingly polarized between decadent haves and discontented have-nots. As Daru spirals downward, he is falling for beautiful, mysterious Mumtaz, the wife of his childhood friend and rival, Ozi. Privileged but restless, Mumtaz escapes the constraints of marriage and motherhood by prowling the city's depths as a journalist. Daru is drawn to her with an intensity that mimics the attraction of moths to candle flames in his darkened apartment. Desperate to reverse his fortunes, Daru takes a partner in crime, the rickshaw driver Murad, but when a heist goes awry, Daru finds himself on trial for a murder he may or may not have committed. The uncertainty of his future mirrors that of his country, which is locked in a jittery nuclear test-for-test with India, as the rich get richer and fundamentalist fervor intensifies. With its assured voice-in equal measure funny, ironic, and impassioned-highly original cast of characters, and sly satire, this debut novel is never less than riveting.
Mohsin Hamid grew up in Lahore, Pakistan. He lives in New York City.
Customer Reviews:
Watch a train wreck.......2007-09-07
In Moth Smoke, Mohsin Hamid crafts a complex story and leaves you to judge the characters, their insecurities, their arrogance, and their crimes. He has written a candid and uncomfortably honest account of contemporary Pakistan.
Dara has lost his job, and all desire to pull out from the economic slump that leaves him in. He is resigned to let his insecurities take him over. Reuniting with his childhood pal Ozi and Ozi's beautiful wife Mumtaz, bring out all the hitherto buried uncertainties. Dara's clandestine attraction for Mumtaz and his envy for Ozi cloaked under morally uptight condescension thrust him into the belly of Pakistan's corrupt judicial system.
Whether it is the drug addiction or his insistence on becoming martyr to his love, Dara's decline is not unlike the much scrutinized moth fatally spiraling towards the candle flame. From being a banker to a drug peddler to a petty criminal, Dara smokes through to the inevitable end.
Mohsin Hamid has inferred interesting parallels between the characters and the nuclear rivalry of blood brothers India-Pakistan. And the fatalistic nature of the moth to bring forth certain unstated thoughts of Dara.
It is a cleverly laid out book which unravels as a play with each character recounting their side of the story. The writing style for the narratives of each character is very similar and this is where I feel Mohsin Hamid left me desiring for something better. Each character's narrative sounds similar in language, their diversity and disparity is not manifested in their language.
Mohsin Hamid's achievement in Moth Smoke is that he has steered completely clear of the immigrant literature formula. A lot of South Asian author's first books fall for the obvious and tend to talk about their immigrant lives, childhood memories triggered by smells of pickles or jasmine oil, houses full of aunts and uncles. There is none of the sepia-toned flashbacks which make even the hottest day appear mellow, beautiful in our memories. Rather he says it like it scorchingly is.
[...]
Deterioration.......2007-09-04
Having managed to claw his way into the middle class, a young man falls into destitution when he's fired from his job at a bank. The book traces his physical and moral deterioration, through a love affair with his best friend's wife, which is, as usual, unconvincing. However, the character's voice is compelling and the book has a propulsive downward energy that keeps us reading to the end.
The Story of You and Me.......2006-02-16
The most beautiful quality of this book is that despite the odd situations the central character puts himself in, like striking an affair with his best friend's wife, rolling joints while driving on main roads, living in dismal conditions and much more, throughout this book you feel that you are reading about yourself, the people around you, just another face in the crowd. In short this book epitomizes beautifully the fact that every person's life is a story, a remarkable, matchless tale. Definitely one of my favorite books.
Plummetting.......2006-02-09
In his debut novel, Moth Smoke, Mohsin Hamid lifts the veil from the less affluent sects of Pakistani society. The protagonist of Moth Smoke, Daru, is a middle-class employee at a Pakistani bank. His life soon falls apart, the rungs of the social ladder suddenly snapping beneath his feet, sending him plummeting into an immoral abyss of desperation, crime and drug abuse.
Set in Lahore in the sultry summer of 1998, Moth Smoke adeptly depicts the shocking disparity between the social classes of Pakistan. Daru is introduced in the novel as a well-educated young man, who socialises with the jet-set of Lahore. Soon, however, after a severe hang-over following an orgy, his misconduct costs him his job.
Later, subsequent to nuclear testing in Pakistan, the Pakistani economy crumbles around Daru, leaving him unemployed for longer than he had anticipated. His electricity is cut off and he begins taking drugs compulsively. Daru relinquishes all hope of salvaging his social identity, reluctant to take up any career. Thus begins his downfall, as he starts an affair with his best friend's wife, resorts to trading drugs and unremorsefully commits robberies. Finally, the ensuing events get him arrested for a crime he never committed. Daru, doomed to a life of captivity, reminisces the incidents which had lead to his decline.
In conclusion, Moth Smoke highlights the distinction between Daru, a middle-class employee, and his friend, Ozi, a wealthy, well-connected entrepreneur. Mohsin Hamid demonstrates that whereas the lower classes of society act as a buffer against the collapsing economy, the rich remain unaffected by the political dissention prevalent in the country.
good book.......2005-10-10
read this book. one of my all time favorites. actually. it is my all time favorite. touching all the way through. i felt like daru was my pakastani counter part.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......2007-05-23
I purchased this book when it was published in '68 and used it quite a bit for several years as I collected moths and butterflies. It is a wonderful resource for the collector.
A Classic.......2005-04-07
This is a must have for any moth aficionado. A comprehensive guide chock full of valuable information. It is well illustrated although the photos are a product of their time and lack the clarity of modern day photos. It is considered the bible of moth books although since its printing many other books have since come out with better photos and more recent information in such the subfield of moth rearing.
excellent resource.......2003-09-06
In addition to the color plates which are pretty clear and a good size, there are drawn pictures throughout the book that emphasize things to look at when trying to id a moth. I'm very new to moth id - just curious about the moths that are in our yard so I picked up this book - so far I'm really happy with it although I'm not very good at the id itself yet.
Excellent color pictures for aid in identification.......1998-11-10
This book has numerous full color pictures of hundreds of moths. Most of the similar species are on the same page which greatly aids the user in determining the distinguishing identifying marks for the common moths of North America.
Product Description
A backyard can come alive by creating an environment with plants and spaces that attract nature's most interesting and friendly creatures. Colorful butterflies, uplifting songbirds, and lively toads can enhance that personal garden space, giving pleasure to nature lovers of all ages. National Wildlife Federation Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife provides over a dozen step-by-step projects for families to do together, making getting back to nature easy, educational, and fun.
More than 200 full-color photographs and illustrations
Over a dozen habitat-inducing projects, including birdhouses, bird feeders, a bat house, a toad abode, roosting boxes, and more
Information on using native plants
How to provide food, water, and shelter
Wildlife-friendly gardening practices, landscape designs
How to certify your yard as an official Backyard Wildlife Habitat site
Resource Guide for further information
Full cross-referenced index and glossary of important terms
Softcover, 128 pages, Published 2004
Customer Reviews:
The Best Book on Attracting Wildlife.......2007-06-07
When you read this book you know you are receiving good, high quality and accurate advice. David Mizejewski, the author, has sound knowledge and experience which he shares with us. After reading this book and following it's instructions, I was able to have my backyard certified a Wildlife Habitat.
Unlike some other books, this one doesn't give outdated information. Invasive or harm plants are identified and cautioned against. If a plant is invasive, beneficial native alternatives are suggested.
The book is full projects that are actually do-able. And not ones that require several power tools. So, read this book and learn about attracting birds, butterflies, mammals, reptiles and amphibians to your garden. And go on safari by steeping out the back door.
Wow alot in a small book.......2007-05-08
This book is WONDERFUL!! I took this to the local nursery so I could buy the right flowers, I noticed folks were looking over my shoulder. It's a great book for ALL your birds, butterflies and just remodeling your yard.
Each topic is condensed on one page, just the facts and photos. Each topic has a photo of some sort to help you understand the reading. There were topics that I would not have even looked up, but now I am glad I know more about it!!! The book is in A-Z format and doesn't used alot of
"tech. terms" I don't understand, and that's great!!! It has receipes on making birds treats and some really great ideas on how to even tame a few wildlife birds and such! A MUST FOR ALL NATURE LOVERS!!! JT
Nice overview, but not helpful otherwise.......2005-09-22
This book outlines several topics, one or two pages per topic, such as birdbaths, artificial ponds, etc., various topics that are all relevant, interesting, and just what you want... but it doesn't treat any one topic thoroughly or well enough. Well before I bought this book, I already knew a bit about how to provide habitats to encourage bees (for example). This book only gave a very rough overview of how to create one type of bee environment (how to make tubes to attract mason bees) but didn't even indicate that there are other types of bees (such as bumble bees... honey bees... various other bee species, each of which need their own particular type of home built for them), let alone give guidelines how to attract them. The most important thing, choosing plants that are bird-friendly or bee-friendly or animal-friends, it handles in a very superficial manner. True, it may list a few species of plants, but it hardly gives a comprehensive list. It doesn't say anything about the plants, such as zones, light/shade preference, etc. In summary, if there's anything you want to do, such as choose plants carefully, you'll need to buy another book. Beehouses? Buy another book or scour the internet. Yes, this book will motivate you, will make you feel, how nice it will be to build a butterfly-friendly garden. But it doesn't really give you what you need to do it, besides make you feel good about it. Do you want to build a birdhouse? Scoure the internet or buy another book. The only thing this book is good for, is to tell you the few topics you should start to think about. And that, you can get just by reading the Table of Contents. Oddly, it spends many pages describing home recipes for making bird cakes and patties, out of animal fat and seeds, that you can hang up in your garden -- a sort of Martha Stewart section slipped in the middle of the book there, as though this was the only "specific" information the author had at hand. I would suggest that instead of this, you buy a book that is positively overloaded with info like Degraaf's "Trees, Shrubs, and Vines for Attracting Birds" which lists a page per specie various plants -- start there. Then look up bee boxes on the internet. Etc.
Lots of great projects you can do with your kids.............2005-04-25
So you want to turn your big back yard into a wildlife refuge? The place to begin is with the NWF `ATTRACTING BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES AND OTHER BACKYARD WILDLIFE.' This book, part of the `Creative Homeowner Series includes all kinds of nifty ideas for making your yard creature-friendly. You will become interested in ridding yourself of noxious grass the upkeep of which is frustrating, a lot of work, and expensive, and probably a source of pollution in your watershed. The book explains the reason why you also want to rid yourself of invasive exotic plants and add native plantings to your yard. Many `exotics carry disease and many fail to nourish the local fauna that grew up with the native stuff. Birds, for example, find the berries from the native Dogwood much more nutritious than the fruit of the Kousa Dogwood. You want to strive for balance in your yard if you want more bird sightings. If you live far enough out in the hinterland, you may also find other creatures visit your yard (though I live in Arlington VA and my neighbor reports a raccoon is having a fish dinner every night from her pond, and I know I have smelled a skunk on many mornings).
The beautiful photos in this publication will inspire you to plan and plant as well as spread peanut butter on your homemade `energy muffins' filled with cornmeal, peanuts and suet or vegetable shortening. You can decorate a Yule tree for the birds the kids might enjoy and/or build a pond with decorative plants. Or if you don't have room for a pond, try making a puddle or a muddy area (the kids will love this) or a container garden for small spaces. You will need to provide cover, which can also be beautiful (we have Cardinals nesting in a Pyracantha bush out front -- my Conure loves to watch them from his window vantage point). We planted Clematis for the butterflies and trumpet flowers for the hummingbirds, and Echinacea for the Finches. The Chickadee loves seeds on the Crepe Myrtle Bush and the Mockingbird loves the Holly.
This is a great book for learning how to attract wildlife (the kind you want) and grow native flora for your fauna, as well as engage in fun activities with your kids or grandkids.
Featuring 17 great projects along with a wealth of tips.......2004-04-03
Illustrated throughout with enticing color photographs, Attracting Birds, Butterflies, And Other Backyard Wildlife by David Mizejewski (Manager, Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program) is an exceptional and highly recommended homeowner's guide featuring 17 great projects along with a wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques to create gardens filled with wildlife sights, sounds, and natural wonders. Featuring advice for obtaining certification for a backyard habitat in the NWF's Backard Wildlife Habitat program, as well as more general suggestions from building amphibian and bee nesting houses, to finding native plants, avoiding West Nile Virus in the water provided for wildlife, butterfly feeders, and so much more, Attracting Birds, Butterflies, And Other Backyard Wildlife is a first-rate informational guide and a welcome addition to personal and community library Wildlife and Gardening reference collections.
Average customer rating:
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North America's Favorite Butterflies: A Pictorial Guide
Patti Putnam , and
Milt Putnam
Manufacturer: Willow Creek Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1572231092 |
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.
Book Description
A delightful small-format book that will appeal to butterfly enthusiasts young and old, with vivid images by the leading butterfly photographer and texts by preeminent writers in the field. This chunky small-format gift book-432 pages, hardcover-features exquisite full-page pictures of 200 butterflies from around the world, accompanied by text that is informative and engaging, including essays on butterfly migration, butterflies and the environment, gardening, and watching and collecting butterflies. The selection of butterflies is arranged by location, from the Arctic Circle to rainforests, woodlands, grasslands, and deserts. Species in the book include butterflies from India, Costa Rica, Brazil, Ireland, Russia, New Guinea, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, and many North American favorites.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful butterfly book.......2007-05-12
The pictures in this book are marvelous. It makes me want to travel the world and see all these gorgeous creatures.
A World Of Butterflies.......2007-01-21
This was a gift and well received. I have rated it from their comments
A World of Butterflys.......2007-01-18
I found the book very interesting.The pictures were very clear.I would recomend it to other people.
A World of Butterflies.......2007-01-11
The pictures in this book are beautiful. The clarity and colors are unbelievable. The explanations of the different butterflies and moths are concise but still informative.
A World of Butterflies.......2007-01-10
Nice book, however the majority of photos are of specimens rather than living butterflies in a natural setting.Text is well thought out. Nice coffee table book.
Book Description
With a little help from the Cat in the Hat, Sally and Dick observe a small miracle in their own backyard—the metamorphosis of an egg into a caterpillar into a chrysalis into a bright new butterfly! Along the way, beginning readers will find out how butterflies see thousands of images at once, drink nectar from flowers, avoid predators, and can be identified by size, shape, and color. Readers will also follow the amazing migration of millions of monarchs.
Book Description
Plan a colorful paradise for butterflies in your garden by planting and maintaining the kinds of flowers, shrubs, trees, and other plants that these fluttering beauties will find irresistible. This lovely and practical guide offers a variety of garden plans designed to attract butterflies, and helps you select plants for different stages in their lives, from food plants for caterpillars to nectar plants for adults. As these gorgeous visitors flock to your fragrant garden, you'll enjoy referring to the butterfly identifier included in Creating a Butterfly Garden. From detailed gardening information to fascinating facts on the life cycles of these winged creatures, here is everything you need to know to let a butterfly sanctuary blossom in your backyard.
Customer Reviews:
basic.......2002-08-11
A good starter book but you can find more info by just looking on the web. It does have some good layouts for gardens but my issue was I wanted native plants and they don't tell you in this book if they're native or if they came from asia or elsewhere. I found other references that were far better but this is a start. Its just very basic.
Very very basic book.......2001-08-06
There are much better books on buttrerfly gardening out there than this one - I recommend Butterfly Gardening by the Xerces Society. Its got not only the plants that butterflies like but also the lifecycle of butterflies. Creating A Butterfly Garden is like the hummingbird gardening book by the same author - very very basic with listings of plants and drawings of gardens but little more. You can get what's offered in these books off the internet. I ended up spending a little more to get a decent book that got me further below the surface and have a great butterfly garden going - variety is the key. The more kinds of flowers, the more kinds of butterflies. Its important to recognize that to have butterflies you need to have caterpillars too and they are fun to provide for and watch develop as well
A clear, concise, and informative book.......1999-03-19
This little book clearly describes the life cycle of a butterfly and what a garden needs to attract and retain butterflies. The descriptions of plants are brief but provide enough information for further research should one desire. The plants are organized by season which is very helpful. There is a nice butterfly identification section in the back of the book to round out the enjoyment of a garden. The author even lists some butterfly suppliers for those who want a head start on nature. This book is perfect for successfully planning and implementing a butterfly garden.
Book Description
This magnificent field guide greatly expands on Butterflies Through Binoculars: The Boston-New York-Washington Region--identified by Defenders of Wildlife Magazine as "the first to focus on netless butterflying" and called " a clear winner" by the Audubon Naturalist. Glassberg here shows us how to find, identify, and enjoy all of the butterflies native to the eastern half of the United States and southeastern Canada. This guide: *Combines the immediacy and vividness of actual photographs of living butterflies with the traditional field guide format *Emphasizes conservation over collection *Includes 630 color photographs, arranged on 72 color plates, of butterflies in the wild *Provides adjacent color maps that show where each species occurs in a given locality and for how much of the year *Supplies entirely new field marks for butterfly identification *Demonstrates how to identify subjects by way of the key characteristics butterflies are likely to display in their natural settings *Shows how species can be recognized both from above and below *Explains how to differentiate between males and females. For butterfly enthusiasts, for bird watchers who want to add a new dimension to their hobby, for anyone who is simply interested in exploring the wilds of their own back yard, this new field guide offers hours of delightful help and instruction.
Customer Reviews:
Butterfly Photography.......2007-10-01
A must book for butterfly enthusiasts. Arrived on time, and in great shape. Thanks!
Identifying butterflies.......2007-09-04
This field guide is easy to use and very helpful for beginners. It was recommended to us by the North America Butterfly Assn.
A must have book!.......2006-07-29
Glassberg's book is a "must have" for anyone interested in butterflies, whether they are a novice or an expert themselves. Glassberg has assembled a collection of stunning photographs of butterflies commonly found in the eastern part of the country. Each photo contains enough detail, that even the rank amateur can easily identify the butterfly that just "passed by." Glassberg also gives side by side comparisons of similar looking butterflies, carefully pointing out the minute differences most may miss. He provides a calendar of when the species is most likely to be seen, areas where they tend to gather and other pertinent information. The book also gives basic background information on butterflies from their life cycle stages to host plants. The book is sized just right to toss into a napsack or car's glove compartment.
looking at butterflies from a distance.......2005-09-10
this book helped me with recogizing the butterflies coming in to my garden where i can sit enjoy garden and the butterflies
Butterflies through Binoculars.......2005-09-02
The images are clear and close-up; just what I wanted.
Book Description
The most user-friendly butterfly guide ever published, still handy and compact, now updated with the very latest information.
Customer Reviews:
Comprehensive guide.......2007-02-06
Easy format to use for quick identification. I bought it used; it was in great condition. Thanks!
butterfly watching.......2007-01-08
Although it is thick and a hefty 392 pages, I take it along on our rv jaunts around the states. My wife is a big Petersons guide to birds fan so our binoculars are always on the ready. The illustrations are quality. I'd been using Petersons Butterflies but now only refer to this. For the money it's a good buy and good reference.
Unless you want it real fast, buy it here on Amazon for the best price.
An excellent field guide.......2006-11-03
Published in 2003, Butterflies of North America is authored by Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman. It is 384 pages. What makes this field guide distinctive in comparison with other photographic field guides is its utilization of photographs that have been digitally edited in order to facilitate the proper identification of its subjects. This field guide is set up in a practical manner, because while the text and range maps are situated on the left page, the butterflies are displayed on the right page. The text that is on the left page provides descriptive information on habitat, behavior, flight season, field marks, comparisons to similar butterflies, and larval foodplants; in addition, the common and scientific names of the butterflies are stated. Along with the photographs that are displayed on the right page, actual size silhouettes and field mark pointers are included. For select butterflies, photographs of larvae and pupae are shown, also. And if the sexes look different, both are photographically represented. This field guide includes a pictoral table of contents, a section on the identification of butterflies (with corresponding illustrations that point out the parts of a butterfly), a section on finding butterflies, a section dealing with the butterfly's life cycle, a classification and naming of butterflies section, a quick key to the range maps, and three indexes. These three indexes are an index of larval foodplants--the foodplants' common and scientific names are given--an index of scientific names of butterflies, and an index of common English names of butterflies. The index that consists of common English names of butterflies can also serve as a life list of the butterflies that you have identified, since there is a box next to each type of butterfly that can be checkmarked. There is a color key system that is included in order to make it simple to find the correct group of butterflies, too. This field guide does not stay on the bookshelf whenever I go butterflying. Butterflies of North America is a productive, excellent, and recommendable field guide.
Well organized reference.......2006-08-23
This reference is easily used by a beginning non-professional as it contains the information in one place (unlike Peterson). Wish it had included the Caterpillar stages, but I suppose that is the topic for another reference source.
THE one volume field guide to North America's butterflies - and great for beginners!.......2006-05-03
According to the preface, Kaufman Guides are "the best and fastest way to get started... to send you outside quickly, putting names on what you find". That was certainly true of the "Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America". Does it work here too?
Firstly, this is the only true field guide to cover every one of the 650 species regularly occurring north of the US-Mexican border. Other comprehensive books exist, like Scott's wonderful "The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide" (on Amazon: ISBN 0804720134), but they are really too heavy and not designed for the field. In contrast, this book is about the same size and shape as the well-known Peterson Field Guides, but with a hardier, flexible cover.
Unlike most Peterson Field Guides, however, the facing-page format allows illustrations, text, and map for each butterfly to be viewed simultaneously at one opening of the book. That is a major advantage. As for the illustrations, Kaufman opts for digitally enhanced photographs over paintings. There are more than 2,200 depictions of butterflies in natural conditions, all of them processed digital images based on photographs of live animals. The plates show the uppersides and undersides of most butterflies, both sexes are illustrated where they differ markedly, and regionally distinct forms are shown too. Range maps show where each species is common or rare and at what time of year.
At the end of the day this is a very welcome addition to the field guide literature and perhaps THE book to take into the field for identifying these insects, especially for beginners. Having said that, I would not be without the superb Peterson Field Guides "A Field Guide to Western Butterflies" and "A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies" (on Amazon: ISBN 0395791529 & ISBN 0395904536 respectively) or the relevant volume of "Butterflies through Binoculars: The West" or "Butterflies through Binoculars: The East" (on Amazon: ISBN 0195106695 & ISBN 0195106687 respectively).
As for caterpillar identification, that is a whole new can of worms and would probably made this book twice as big, not to mention twice as long to write! My feeling is that it may be better to keep the two stages apart and interested readers should refer to the newish "Caterpillars in the Field and Garden : A Field Guide to the Butterfly Caterpillars of North America" (on Amazon: ISBN 0195149874).
The Kaufman Guides are a wonderful series - let's hope they keep expanding to cover new subjects.
Books:
- A Complex Fate: Gustav Stickley and the Craftsman Movement
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- After the Affair: Healing the Pain and Rebuilding Trust When a Partner Has Been Unfaithful
- America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It
- Bambi vs. Godzilla: On the Nature, Purpose, and Practice of the Movie Business
- Becoming a Critical Thinker: A User Friendly Manual (4th Edition)
- Bizarro and Other Strange Manifestations of the Art of Dan Piraro
- Boys Over Flowers, Volume 23 (Boys Over Flowers)
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, Issue 2
Books Index
Books Home
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