Butterflies through Binoculars: The West A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Western North America (Butterflies and Others Through Binoculars Field Guide Series.) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Books like these could open the world of butterflies to much more of the general public...Overall, I like this guide's arrangement...Binoculars supplies descriptions and, most important, scientific names and range maps on pages that face the photographs, which saves a lot of page turning...Lastly, Butterflies Through Binoculars has a wonderful section on conservation." -- Paul R. Ehrlich, Science
"Bird watching has been popular for many years, but now it's time for butterfly watching to take the spotlight! With the help of this 'Butterflies Through Binoculars' this latest trend in nature study is made understandable through text and photographs."--Y.E.S. Quarterly
"Prayer answered! Six hundred twenty-five color photographs of butterflies in the wild! Color range maps that show where each species occurs, and when! Descriptions, punctuated with the diagnostic field marks in boldface! Timelines of peak flight abundance! And a quirky author's voice throughout that communicates Glassberg's infectious love of his subject, something that makes this more than a field guide: it's a field companion."--Bird Watcher's Digest
"The best way to find out if a nature guide is any good is to test it in the field....Our test of Butterflies through Binoculars: The West out in the laboratory of Big Bend National Park proved that it's an exceptionally useful field guide. Those who seek to know the kind of butterflies flitting over hill and dale will want to own a copy."--Gary Clark, Houston Chronicle

Product Description

This field guide offers a comprehensive display of all the magnificent butterflies of the western region, stretching from the plains of middle America to the Pacific coast, and from southwestern Canada all the way to the Hawaiian islands.
Jeffrey Glassberg's acclaimed Butterflies Through Binoculars series has essentially revolutionized the way we view butterflies. Featuring an extensive array of photographs, this new volume offers expert guidance in locating, identifying, and enjoying all the butterflies of the West. In fact, together with its companion volume Butterflies Through Binoculars: The East, every type of butterfly from the continental United States is described and, in most cases, photographed. As a complement to its outstanding instruction in spotting both rare and common butterfly species, the volume also includes range maps, advice on food plants, wing areas, flight times, and a host of other butterfly facts. Moreover, each stunning photograph contains identification marks, shown clearly for ease in positive identification.
From butterfly biology to butterfly conservation, this useful and practical field guide provides all the necessary information to make your butterfly experience a success. Whether you are a butterfly enthusiast, a birder, a conservationist, or a nature lover in general, this guide is the ideal accompaniment to your search for western butterflies.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; First Paper edition (July 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195106695
• ISBN-13: 978-0195106695
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #397,098 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #53 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Fauna > Butterflies
  #87 in	Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Invertebrates

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Photos Make Sight Identification Easier, July 19, 2001

By	Yvonne Homeyer (St. Louis, Missouri United States) - See all my reviews

This field guide is designed to encourage sight identification of butterflies by using field marks and habitat clues, just like birdwatchers do. Jeffrey Glassberg's photographs reveal butterflies in their natural settings as they are actually seen. Glassberg is a superb photographer and he groups similar butterflies on the same page, making comparison and contrast easier. Glassberg has provided all information on facing pages: range map and text on the left, photos on the right. There is no need to flip to another page. The introductory text contains use information on conservation, habitat, binoculars, photography, and tips for improving sight identification. Glassberg's mission, as founder and President of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA), has been to promote the nonconsumptive enjoyment of butterflies by the public. This field guide, and its companion Butterflies through Binoculars: the East, do the job.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Outstanding photos make sight identification easier", July 19, 2001

By	Yvonne Homeyer (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This field guide is designed to encourage sight identification of butterflies by using field marks and habitat clues, much as birdwatchers do. Jeffrey Glassberg's photographs reveal butterflies in their natural settings as they are actually seen. Glassberg is a superb photographer and he groups similar butterflies on the same page, making comparison and contrast easier. Glassberg has provided all information on facing pages: range map and text on the left, photos on the right. There is no need to flip to another page. The introductory text contains useful information on conservation issues, habitat, photography and tips for improving field skills and sight identification. Glassberg's mission, as founder and President of the North American Butterfly Association, has been to promote the nonconsumptive enjoyment of butterflies by the public. This field guide, and its companion Butterflies through Binouclars: the East, do the job.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The New Standard for the Field!, September 22, 2004

By	David B Richman (Mesilla Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

A while back I wrote a review of the Peterson Series "Field Guide to Western Butterflies", which I had used in the field during the 4th of July Butterfly Count in the Organ Mountains of New Mexico. I gave it five stars as I thought it the best field guide to actually use in the field. The rival Audubon guide to butterflies left me cold because it simply does not show enough detail for identifying hard species. I thus dismissed photo guides because of this bad experience, thinking that artists did better work in illustrating these beautiful insects. I was wrong! There is a way to produce a photo guide to butterflies that actually works and Jeffrey Glassberg has done it! This is the best field guide that I have ever seen for butterflies. The photos, mostly taken by the author, are simply superb! The best thing that Glassberg has done is to standardize the photos so you can compare the same characters. This is a major innovation and must certainly have taken a lot of time. The placing of maps and descriptions opposite the photographic plates is also a major change from the other popular guides. It sure saves a lot of page flipping!

I am often laughed at because I still use a 35 mm SLR for photographing insects, but Glassberg's photos (all with a 35 mm SLR) show why it still may pay. Digitals are, I know, the coming thing and will soon overtake SLRs, but most digitals still cannot match an old Nikon FM2n with a 55 mm macro or an Olympus with a 90 mm macro, both of which I use.

Glassberg's remarks about how much space digital shots take up (5 MB roughly for a decent high resolution) are probably dated because of gigabyte technology which allows as much as 200 shots at a time, even at high resolution. However, I still like the feel of a SLR and many digitals (but not the more expensive ones) are boxy and difficult to hold. I get irritated with the automatic focus that often keeps me from getting the shot of an easily disturbed subject.

Those aside; if you are at all interested in butterflies and can afford only one book, get this guide! It is the new standard for photo guides and it will be hard to ever beat it.