The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide [Hardcover]

James Scott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1986

An illustrated field guide to North American butterfly species also acts as a complete natural history, fully describing the biological and ecological world of butterflies for collectors and advanced naturalists alike. Simultaneous.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Combining the species descriptions of a field guide with the essays of a monograph, this is an excellent one- volume lepidoptery encyclopedia replete with color plates, diagrams, and charts. Part 1 surveys the physical structure of butterflies, their behavior, and population dynamics. Part 2 presents keys to identifying larvae, pupae, and adults. Users are directed through the keys in flowchart fashion, matching the physical features of their unknown specimens with those described. The 679 species descriptions in Part 3 are keyed to the book's 64 color plates, which group adult butterflies not by genus but by common physical characteristics. Each species entry shows a range map, gives scientific and common names, describes the species and its subspecies, and offers information on habitat, life cycle, and behavior. The book is exhaustive in scope and moderately technical in language. Rank amateurs will be better served by basic field guides, but serious amateur lepidopterists and specialists will find this an essential, all-inclusive reference. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries. Laurie Tynan, Huntingdon Cty. Lib., Pa.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 584 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; First Edition edition (June 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804712050
• ISBN-13: 978-0804712057
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,402,733 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encyclopedic Natural History. Field Guide?, January 8, 2000

By 

Charles D. Pearson "Chuck Pearson" (Adrian, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide (Paperback)

This book is a superb natural history. The author has obtained information from studies in scientific journals and from experts in the field. He consulted 700 sources for information on how butterflies overwinter. There is a wealth of detail. For the Spring Azure alone, he describes four subspecies and six forms, giving appearance, range, and flight periods of each. 56 of its host plants are listed, the most common ones marked with an asterisk. There are 10 photographs of the forms. Host plants for all butterflies are listed in alphabetical order in the index with the species numbers on the same line.

There are better books for use as a field guide. This book is too big (8x10) to carry in a pocket or binoculars case. I would be afraid of damaging this large, relatively expensive book. The sheer number of photographs makes a quick tentative identification harder.

This is a book that any butterfly enthusiast should add to his library. However, he should start his library with one of the smaller guides, such as Butterflies Through Binoculars: The East, the Golden Guide, or one of the regional guides.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Class - little more to say really, October 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide (Paperback)

By far the best single volume covering the North American butterflies. I have only one reservation. I don't know if this is a cultural thing, but US guide books tend towards colour photos instead of drawings. For a foreigner (UK) who hasn't been brought up with the American fauna, it is nearly impossible to tell from a photo which marks on an insect's wing are characteristics of the species, and which are that-own-specific-individual-in-the-photo's unique birth marks, imperfections etc. The better of the European butterfly guide books, and most of the world's better bird books all use high quality generalized drawings/paintings.

Superb overall quality and an absolute must for anyone with the slightest serious interest.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By far the best one-volume guide to N.American Butterflies, July 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide (Paperback)

Probably the most valuable feature of this book are its colour plates, which depict a huge amount of subspecies and variations. As the colour plates are made up of photographs and not drawings, the species have certain natural defects and thus make it easier to identify species caught in the wild. The text is also exceptional, pointing out minute differences between species and describing in great detail their natural behaviour. Another extremely useful feature is the maps, which point out the exact distribution of species throughout North America. This is a wonderful book and belongs in the library of any naturalist, scientist, or entomologist, both amateur and professional.