Customer Reviews

The Butterflies of Costa Rica and Their Natural History, Vol. II: Riodinidae

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This hefty book is not a book you would like to drag along in you daypack (I tried, so I know). Yet, you will need it around (so, in your lodge or tent) when you're walking the rainforests and trying to make out what you've seen. It gives a clear description, added to clear drawings, of all the butterflies in the described families. That leads me to the only drawback: it's "just" a number of famlies described here, so the title is somewhat misleading. I'm eagerly awaiting the follow-up with the rest of the Lepidoptera, hoping that they will be covered in a similar way.

For all of you who are looking for a good quality source book for your art projects this is the book that will provide you, not only, with detailed drawings but also with beautiful color images of Costa Rican butterflies. I only wish there were more color photographs of the insect, but since I researched line drawings to incorporate them into design this book even exceeded my needs. It also helped my seven year old daughter to understand and appreciate the complexity of this species not only its beauty. The text is easy to understand and can make a good vacation reading

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.

This is a wonderful book on butterflies, well-researched, more photos than you can review in a day, and a joy to behold. DeVires has provided the amateur, the professional or the everyday reader with all the known information of every butterfly found in Costa Rica. ( Yes, many of them get to the U.S.) DeVires' attention to detail, his photos and his comments demonstrate discipline ordinary writers can only envy. Also be warned, this is "Volume II" of his massive opus to our winged-friends. You will have to find "Volume I" on the used book sites. DeVires is now teaching and researching at the University of New Orleans, but at the end of the day, this volume and the previous volume will stand as testimony to what a field researcher can do. Buy this book.

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.

Now, the text is very thorough and there have been a great deal of time and patience to acquire the information and data. I still would recommend this book despite its flaws. So far, it is probably the only book describing Costa Rican Butterflies.