Handbook for Butterfly Watchers (Paperback)

by Robert Michael Pyle (Author), Sarah Anne Hughes (Illustrator) "A butterfly passes by, and only a few heads turn-what a great pity..." (more)
Key Phrases: rearing butterflies, butterfly photography, butterfly walk, North America, Painted Lady, Xerces Society (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Pyle is America's butterfly guru. Here's a thorough butterfly guide--the first to emphasize watching, not collecting and possessing." -- Review

Review

"Pyle is America's butterfly guru. Here's a thorough butterfly guide--the first to emphasize watching, not collecting and possessing." Whole Earth Review

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (June 26, 1992) Language: English ISBN-10: 0395616298 ISBN-13: 978-0395616291 Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #874,117 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
A butterfly passes by, and only a few heads turn-what a great pity. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
rearing butterflies, butterfly photography, butterfly walk, butterfly watching, butterfly watcher, butterfly clubs, butterfly gardener, butterfly gardening, butterfly enthusiasts, butterfly behavior, butterfly numbers, butterfly fauna, butterfly count, most butterflies, largest butterfly, more butterflies, black swallowtail, many butterflies, other butterflies, nectar sources, many moths, butterfly houses

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
North America, Painted Lady, Xerces Society, Mourning Cloak, Papua New Guinea, Great Britain, New World, Painted Ladies, Red Admirals, Costa Rica, Highline Canal, New Jersey, Pacific Northwest, Cabbage White, Hackberry Butterfly, Large White, New England, Paul Opler, Pipevine Swallowtail, Queen Alexandra's Birdwing, United States, Veined Whites, Washington State, Colorado Hairstreak, Common Blue

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 70 books:

• North American Butterflies (National Audubon Society Collection Nature Series) by NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY on 4 pages
• Field Guide by Terry Collins on 4 pages
• Wings in the Meadow by Jo Brewer in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• Biological Records Centre by J. Heath on page 102, and Back Matter
• The Malay Archipelago by Alfred Russel Wallace on page 96, and page 246

See all 70 books this book cites

 

30 books cite this book:

• How to Spot Butterflies by Clay Sutton on page 44, page 59, and Back Matter
• Earth Works: Readings for Backyard Gardeners by Nancy R. Hugo on page 93, and page 96
• Going Wild in Washington and Oregon: Seasonal Excu by Susan Ewing on page 90, and Back Matter
• Butterflies through Binoculars: A Field, Finding, and Gardening Guide to Butterflies in Florida (Butterflies and Others Through Binoculars Field Guide Series,) by Jeffrey Glassberg in Back Matter
• A World for Butterflies: Their Lives, Habitats and Future by Phillip J. Schappert on page 291

See all 30 books citing this book

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Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Butterflies through Binoculars by Jeffrey Glassberg

Discusses:

• butterfly photography
• butterfly watching
• butterfly gardening

A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies by Paul A. Opler

Discusses:

• butterfly photography
• butterfly watching
• butterfly gardening

Ortho's All About Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies by Ortho

Discusses:

• butterfly gardener
• butterfly gardening
• butterfly behavior

The Family Butterfly Book by Rick Mikula

Discusses:

• butterfly watching
• butterfly gardening
• most butterflies

Butterflies through Binoculars by Jeffrey Glassberg

Discusses:

• butterfly photography
• butterfly watching
• butterfly gardening

Butterflies through Binoculars by Jeffrey Glassberg

Discusses:

• butterfly watching
• butterfly gardener
• butterfly gardening

Butterflies through Binoculars by Jeffrey Glassberg Discusses: butterfly photography butterfly watching butterfly gardening A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies by Paul A. Opler Discusses: butterfly photography butterfly watching butterfly gardening Ortho's All About Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies by Ortho Discusses: butterfly gardener butterfly gardening butterfly behavior The Family Butterfly Book by Rick Mikula Discusses: butterfly watching butterfly gardening most butterflies Loading...

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	62% buy the item featured on this page: Handbook for Butterfly Watchers 5.0 out of 5 stars (1) $15.00
	22% buy National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds--E: Eastern Region - Revised Edition 4.4 out of 5 stars (59) $13.57
	9% buy Peterson First Guide to Butterflies and Moths 4.0 out of 5 stars (9) $5.95
	7% buy The Last Monarch Butterfly: Conserving the Monarch Butterfly in a Brave New World 4.0 out of 5 stars (1) $14.96

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Customer Reviews

1 Review 5 star:  (1) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Move over Birds: Butterflies are the New Animal to Watch, May 20, 2007 By  Michael Zeogas - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    You'll picture yourself in a serene meadow. The dewy grass will still feel wet beneath your bare feet. The sweet smell of pollen will tickle your nose, and the rising sun will set a backdrop of beautiful pinks and purples in the sky. This is how you will feel while reading this classic book. Pyle's Handbook for Butterfly Watchers is a captivating, leisurely read that will inspire you to go out and experience nature in a way that you never have before. His writing style is beautiful and poetic. He places you in a world where butterflies flitter about without a care in the world. His love of lepidoptera is evident through the book. His organization is masterful, ranging from scientific butterfly knowledge to rearing your own butterflies to conserving butterflies. He also shares his experiences and offers his expert insight to the best spots in North America, and around the world. His book starts with a simple question that I am sure he proposed to himself before writing the book. "Why watch butterflies?" Why would anyone be interested in this activity? Moreover, why would anyone be interested enough to buy the book? Pyle claims "those who miss butterflies miss one of the greatest spectacles of all, in sheer wonder and beauty if not in size"(1). This natural history book has other fun chapters entitled "How to Find Butterflies" and "Moths: Learning to Love Them". The book will give you a plethora of knowledge about butterflies with the less scientific approach that all will enjoy. I would strongly recommend this book both to a avid reader, and any person looking to discover a new outdoor hobby. The book is enjoyable, understandable, and readable to all adults in all fields. The themes of the book were well represented but sometimes I felt as if the author went too deeply into personal experiences from the his own past. I also thought that the title was somewhat misleading. At first glance, although it is not explicitly stated, I thought this book was a field guide, rather than a natural history book. His writing style is absolutely astonishing in a sense of lyrical beauty, however, it does not offer as much scientific information as a field guide. Perhaps this is why it is named a "handbook" rather than a field guide. For instance, he writes: "On a hot, crystalline morning I started up a steep slope, bound for a moor purple with heather and overlooking the Irish Sea, buoyant with hope and exhilaration."(3). The text talks about why he watches butterflies but why should the reader watch butterflies? The obvious reasons why Pyle wrote this book was to share his love for butterflies with the world. This is a well written book about the natural history of butterflies and I thought he conveyed that message very well. His descriptions were idealistic and imaginative. The text seems accurate for the time it was written. One thing I noticed that seemed outdated was in the "Records and Field Notes" section, he talks of a time before global positioning systems (GPS). He claims that the only way to record where you found a butterfly was to refer to a nearby landmark and estimate how far away you were and in what direction. "The situation has improved but many naturalists still give only the nearest town or road. This is not only imprecise and perhaps miles off course, but it can also be confusing" (88). This to me seems outdated as many collectors (including college students such as ourselves) use GPS now to identify an exact location where the specimen was found. Since the author used eighteen sources for the "About Butterflies" section which was the largest science-based section of the book, and thirty sources in the "Names and Identification" section which was very scientific also, I generally assumed that the author has a immense appreciation for butterflies but didn't necessarily have a technical education in insects. I later discovered that the author did write the Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies. This proves that Pyle does have a scientific love for butterflies also. After further research I learned that Pyle has a B.S. in Nature Perception and Protection (1969) and an M.S. in Nature Interpretation (1973). He also got his Ph. D. from Yale from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Pyle clearly has devoted his life to conservation and protection of nature, especially his beloved butterflies. The book was enjoyable but to a serious collector I would suggest his Field Guide. Although beautifully written, I would recommend this book more as a leisurely read rather then a scientific database of knowledge.		Ad feedback   Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (June 26, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395616298
• ISBN-13: 978-0395616291
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #874,117 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Move over Birds: Butterflies are the New Animal to Watch, May 20, 2007

By	Michael Zeogas - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

You'll picture yourself in a serene meadow. The dewy grass will still feel wet beneath your bare feet. The sweet smell of pollen will tickle your nose, and the rising sun will set a backdrop of beautiful pinks and purples in the sky. This is how you will feel while reading this classic book.
Pyle's Handbook for Butterfly Watchers is a captivating, leisurely read that will inspire you to go out and experience nature in a way that you never have before. His writing style is beautiful and poetic. He places you in a world where butterflies flitter about without a care in the world. His love of lepidoptera is evident through the book. His organization is masterful, ranging from scientific butterfly knowledge to rearing your own butterflies to conserving butterflies. He also shares his experiences and offers his expert insight to the best spots in North America, and around the world.
His book starts with a simple question that I am sure he proposed to himself before writing the book. "Why watch butterflies?" Why would anyone be interested in this activity? Moreover, why would anyone be interested enough to buy the book? Pyle claims "those who miss butterflies miss one of the greatest spectacles of all, in sheer wonder and beauty if not in size"(1). This natural history book has other fun chapters entitled "How to Find Butterflies" and "Moths: Learning to Love Them". The book will give you a plethora of knowledge about butterflies with the less scientific approach that all will enjoy. I would strongly recommend this book both to a avid reader, and any person looking to discover a new outdoor hobby.
The book is enjoyable, understandable, and readable to all adults in all fields. The themes of the book were well represented but sometimes I felt as if the author went too deeply into personal experiences from the his own past. I also thought that the title was somewhat misleading. At first glance, although it is not explicitly stated, I thought this book was a field guide, rather than a natural history book. His writing style is absolutely astonishing in a sense of lyrical beauty, however, it does not offer as much scientific information as a field guide. Perhaps this is why it is named a "handbook" rather than a field guide. For instance, he writes: "On a hot, crystalline morning I started up a steep slope, bound for a moor purple with heather and overlooking the Irish Sea, buoyant with hope and exhilaration."(3). The text talks about why he watches butterflies but why should the reader watch butterflies? The obvious reasons why Pyle wrote this book was to share his love for butterflies with the world. This is a well written book about the natural history of butterflies and I thought he conveyed that message very well. His descriptions were idealistic and imaginative. The text seems accurate for the time it was written. One thing I noticed that seemed outdated was in the "Records and Field Notes" section, he talks of a time before global positioning systems (GPS). He claims that the only way to record where you found a butterfly was to refer to a nearby landmark and estimate how far away you were and in what direction. "The situation has improved but many naturalists still give only the nearest town or road. This is not only imprecise and perhaps miles off course, but it can also be confusing" (88). This to me seems outdated as many collectors (including college students such as ourselves) use GPS now to identify an exact location where the specimen was found.
Since the author used eighteen sources for the "About Butterflies" section which was the largest science-based section of the book, and thirty sources in the "Names and Identification" section which was very scientific also, I generally assumed that the author has a immense appreciation for butterflies but didn't necessarily have a technical education in insects. I later discovered that the author did write the Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies. This proves that Pyle does have a scientific love for butterflies also. After further research I learned that Pyle has a B.S. in Nature Perception and Protection (1969) and an M.S. in Nature Interpretation (1973). He also got his Ph. D. from Yale from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Pyle clearly has devoted his life to conservation and protection of nature, especially his beloved butterflies.
The book was enjoyable but to a serious collector I would suggest his Field Guide. Although beautifully written, I would recommend this book more as a leisurely read rather then a scientific database of knowledge.