Customer Reviews

Peterson First Guide to Caterpillars of North America (Peterson First Guide (R))

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although this is supposed to be a children's book, the reference material on caterpillars is far more comprehensive than any adult book on the market, including the food plants of each species and illustrations of each caterpillar, its butterfly or moth stage, and often the egg and the chrysalis, as well. 120 species are included.

As far as I know, this is the only caterpillar book available. We use it at our nature center on a daily basis. Not only does it have excellent illustrations, but it also lists the various host plants of each caterpillar. Next time a child brings you a caterpillar you can ID it and tell the child what it will need to eat to become a moth or butterfly. We couldn't live without it!

If you've been looking for a book to help you identify caterpillars, you may have noticed that field guides for butterflies and moths are nearly useless in this regard. Entomologists don't seem to be nearly as fascinated with the larvae of these creatures as they are with the adults. But this is the guide you've been looking for! Although the First Guides are written for children, this book is suitable for adults as well and is by no means remedial. The book is made to take along at 3 3/4x7 1/4 inches in size and 128 pages long. It begins with an introduction to caterpillars which explains their structure, life cycle, protective mechanisms, and gives brief instructions for attracting and caring for caterpillars. This is followed by pictures and descriptions of 120 caterpillars. Each caterpillar is clearly illustrated for easy identification. Illustrations of the adult moths and butterflies are included, so you will know what the little critter will turn into. (All illustrations are drawings.) There is a description of each caterpillar which includes details of its appearance, size, diet, and where it is found. A few caterpillars that are dangerous to handle are marked with don't-handle signs. (They won't kill you; they cause skin irritation, pain, and rashes, at worst.)

Recommended for everyone who would like to know just what those caterpillars are and what they will become. A great gift for kids who like the outdoors. The book's only real shortcoming is that it is not comprehensive. We can always hope that the publisher will add more species in a later edition. In the meantime, this guide will enable you to identify most common species of caterpillar.

This is a good book for beginning naturalists, including kids. The book covers 120 common North American species of caterpillars and their moths or butterflies. It includes helpful info regarding the host plant(s), life stages of each species, and identifies the regions of the U.S. in which they are most commonly found. There are no photos, however, the colorful illustrations work well. One disappointing aspect of the book is its bredth and depth. I would have liked to have seen more species included for the area covered (the United States). Some areas of the country (northwest, west, and southwest) are underrepresented in the book's coverage of species. The book seems to have a better coverage of eastern species.

Our childrens librarian recommended this book to us and it has been so helpful. We are always finding caterpillars, cocoons, butterflies and have found the illustrations in this book very helpful in identifying them. My son is five and the illustrations are good enough so that he can identify the caterpillars and butterflies even though he can't read yet. I would highly recommend this guide!

Our 6-year old daughter is a budding entomologist, and has been fascinated with butterflies in particuluar for the last two years. Each spring she has a great time running around our garden collecting caterpillars and raising them into butterflies. The problem we always had was how to identify them before they actually became butterflies...

Well, this book is a great help in that respect. It lays out the various broad categories of caterpillars in order to simplify identification. A very nice feature is that it also often includes information on the plant species that both the caterpillar and the adult butterfly feed upon.

Also, a great small size - perfect as a "field guide". We keep a copy in the glove box of our VW camper so that it is always handy on family outings.

This is a fine concept, completely unrealized. I bought it for grandchildren, but it would insult their intelligence. Authors picked out a very few species of charismatic, or at least colorful caterpillars, and left it at that. They did not bother to mention that only two or three of these stars occur throughout the US. Nor do they bother mentioning that 3/4 of all caterpillars will become moths, not butterflies. Nothing useful about how to look for caterpillars. Peterson Guides should have hired someone who cared about caterpillars and kids at least a little.

This is a good little book, although not terribly comprehensive. But considering the fact that there are hardly any field guides on the market relating to butterfly and moth larvae identification, I give this book a thumbs up! Illustrations and information is very helpful and accurate.

This small reference book has been a great help to the kindergarten teachers at out school. When studying caterpillars, the children bring them in for observation. We need to know what to feed them and what type of enviroment they prefer. This knowledge has allowed us to observe butterflies and moths emerge from the cocoon or chyrsallis.

A great book to keep in your pocket so it is handy when you see an unusual caterpillar. It's nice to also see what your caterpillar will become...each picture ID includes another of the butterfly or moth.