Peterson First Guide to Butterflies and Moths (Peterson First Guide (R)) [Paperback]

Paul A. Opler (Author), Roger Tory Peterson (Editor), Amy Bartlett Wright (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Peterson First Guide (R)

Peterson First Guides are the first books the beginning naturalist needs. Condensed versions of the famous Peterson Field Guides, the First Guides focus on the animals, plants, and other natural things you are most likely to see. They make it fun to get into the field and easy to progress to the full-fledged Peterson Guides.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Paul A. Opler is the author of several books and videos on butterflies, including the Peterson First Guide to Butterflies and Moths. He is the author of more than 100 scientific papers and is a senior research scientist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. He serves as vice president of the North American Butterfly Association and of the Xerces Society. He is past president of the Lepidopterists' Society and is active in efforts to conserve insects and their habitats.

Roger Tory Peterson, one of the world"s greatest naturalists, received every major award for ornithology, natural science, and conservation, as well as numerous honorary degrees, medals, and citations, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Peterson Identification System has been called the greatest invention since binoculars, and the Peterson Field Guides® are credited with helping to set the stage for the environmental movement.

Amy Bartlett Wright is a contributor for Houghton Mifflin Company titles including: "A Field Guide to Western Butterflies."

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 2nd edition (February 20, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395906652
• ISBN-13: 978-0395906651
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 3.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Butterflies
  • #3 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Butterflies
  • #25 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Outdoors & Nature > Reference

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful intro book!, July 25, 2000

By 

Rabbi Yonassan Gershom (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Peterson First Guide to Butterflies and Moths (Peterson First Guide (R)) (Paperback)

This introductory field guide is much, much better than the old Little Golden Guide" that beginning Lepidoptrists (butterfly lovers) have relied on in the past. I wish I had had the new First Guide version a kid! It shows accurate color drawings of the most common species, along with the food plants and, in some cases, the other life stages such as larvae and pupae.

I especially like the fact that it includes so many moths -- not just the showy ones like Cecropias and Lunas that beginners dream about but seldom find -- but some of the little gray and brown ones, too, such as might show up any evening around your yard light. Plus, I finally found out that a grayish day-flying moth with a metallic-blue body that I see around here all the tiime is callled a "Southern Ctenucha."

As a Master Gardener volunteer, I currently recommend this to 4H-ers (and adults, too) who are just getting started in entomology. It's easy to use, and the light pocket size makes it nice for children to carry on field trips. Buy it along with "First Guide to Caterpillars" in the same series (which I have also reviewed here on Amazon).

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Typical Peterson, August 23, 2006

By 

L. Graham "Music Lover" (Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peterson First Guide to Butterflies and Moths (Peterson First Guide (R)) (Paperback)

Typical of all the Peterson guides. This one has all the information one normally needs. It also is arranged in sometimes frustrating sections which require one to go to several sections for a complete profile of the subject matter. I simply do not want to spend the time going back and forth in the book when I simply want basic information on one insect.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Best for casual naturalists, July 18, 2009

By 

Lonny D. Stark - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peterson First Guide to Butterflies and Moths (Peterson First Guide (R)) (Paperback)

This is a useful guide for the naturalist with a mild interest in butterflies and moths, and it's very readable for adults and kids alike. Like other Peterson First Guides, it's compact and fits nicely into a pants pocket or the side slot of a backpack. The illustrations are sometimes more "painterly" than I would like for identification of similar or difficult species. I give it one demerit for that, and another for inexplicable lack of a scientific name of each listed butterfly (the scientific names are buried in the index alongside common names).

Butterfly and moth enthusiasts -- adults and young people alike -- would do better by sticking with the full guides.