Customer Reviews

Butterflies of the Great Lakes Region (Great Lakes Environment)

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When I first glanced inside this book, I said to myself, "This will be a good read!" I had not intended to read it right away, but it was three hours later when I finally put it down. For butterfly and insect enthusiasts in the Great Lakes region (or Eastern U.S. for that matter) this book is a treasure. The text is friendly to the non-scientist, the illustrations are clear and very helpful, and the photos are superb.

While it focuses most of its effort on species identification, the book also provides a solid overview of Great Lakes region's geography, climate, prehistory, and natural habitats. It provides an excellent chapter on butterfly biology, including a brief section about this insect's evolution.

Each butterfly description includes: the common and scientific name, the name of the scientist who first described the species, the date it was described, a description of adult characteristics, a paragraph about confusing species, and paragraphs on adult food sources, adult habitat and behavior, the life history, and host plants of the larva. The adult butterfly photo is included, typically of the male and sometimes both sexes. A Great Lakes region map shows where the butterfly is commonly found. Particularly interesting to me was the life history of each butterfly, which follows the egg to adult. Life history is rarely included with guidebooks.

The book ends with appendices covering butterfly systematics, resource information, glossary of terms, and references. It includes an index of common names, and a second index of subjects.

If you simply need to identify butterflies, the book is excellent. It's a bit larger than a pocket guide, but it can be carried on the trail. It's easy to thumb through quickly for identification.

But this is more than a guide; it's an ample resource book, filled with information to educate and encourage the butterfly enthusiast.

We put in a butterfly garden this year and this book gave us lots of ideas for plants. Our 11 yr old son has fun helping us identify the butterflies we've had visit using this book. I would love another that has pictures of the caterpillar and chrysalis stages, as well as some of the more prominent moths of the area. Great Book!