Synopses & Reviews
Millions of birdwatchers, gardeners, and hikers are discovering the pleasures of identifying butterflies. The ideal guide for nature lovers everywhere is this exciting addition to the
Kaufman Focus Guide family, the only single-volume pocket guide that offers a complete and accurate reference to North American butterflies.
Modeled on the best-selling Birds of North America, the first Kaufman Focus Guide, Butterflies of North America follows the groundbreaking method of field guide illustration pioneered by Kenn Kaufman, using digital images based on photographs for the ultimate in accurate, lifelike illustrations. The photographs, taken by Rick and Nora Bowers and more than sixty other top nature photographers, are digitally edited to clearly show the field marks necessary for quick and easy identification in the field.
This innovative field guide is detailed enough to be valuable for experts, while the layout is designed for ease of use even by beginners. The pictorial table of contents and quick one-page index lead the user rapidly to the correct section of the book. The text is clear and informative, and the illustrations are the most comprehensive of those in any such guide, with more than 2,300 butterflies in natural postures.
Review
"[A]n excellent identification resource for experienced and novice lepidopterists....The readable capsule narratives are enhanced by the startling clear color images, which make identification of species much easier." Publishers Weekly
Review
"An index of larval food plants is a nice addition, and the main index of common names also acts as a checklist for species seen. An essential purchase for all libraries." Nancy Bent, Booklist
Synopsis
The most user-friendly butterfly guide ever published, still handy and compact, now updated with the very latest information
- Follows the latest classification, recognizing more than forty additional species
- Includes four new color plates of Mexican-border rarities
- More than 2,300 images of butterflies in natural poses
- Pictorial table of contents
- Convenient one-page index
- Range maps on text pages
Synopsis
Kaufman Focus Guides cut through the clutter to focus on the essentials.
* More than 2,300 images of butterflies in natural, lifelike poses * Pictorial table of contents * Convenient one-page index * Full index that doubles as a life list * Similar species arranged side by side for easy comparison * Range maps on text pages showing where each species is common or rare and indicating seasons of occurrence
About the Author
KENN KAUFMAN is the originator of the Kaufman Field Guide series and author of
Lives of North American Birds, Kingbird Highway, and
Flights Against the Sunset, among other books. Long recognized as an expert on bird identification, he has been teaching popular workshops on the subject since 1980 and has written hundreds of ID articles for
Birder's World, American Birds, and other publications. A field editor for
Audubon and a contributor to every major birding magazine, he has also led nature tours on all seven continents. He and his wife, Kimberly, make their home in northwestern Ohio.
KENN KAUFMAN is the originator of the Kaufman Field Guide series and author of Lives of North American Birds, Kingbird Highway, and Flights Against the Sunset, among other books. Long recognized as an expert on bird identification, he has been teaching popular workshops on the subject since 1980 and has written hundreds of ID articles for Birder's World, American Birds, and other publications. A field editor for Audubon and a contributor to every major birding magazine, he has also led nature tours on all seven continents. He and his wife, Kimberly, make their home in northwestern Ohio.
Table of Contents
PICTORIAL TABLE OF CONTENTS
WHEN YOU SEE AN UNFAMILIAR BUTTERFLY: 1. Try to place it in one of the groups shown on the next four pages. Its shape, size, and behavior may be better clues than color. 2. Refer to the page numbers or color tabs and go to that section of the book. Look for the pictures that match your butterfly most closely.
3. Make sure the size is right. Always check the and#147;actual sizeand#8221; figure in the upper right-hand corner of each plate.
4. Check the range maps to see which species are likely in your area. This will help to narrow down the choices.
5. Read the text for additional pointers on habitat, behavior, flight season, and comparisons to similar species.
SWALLOWTAILS AND PARNASSIANS, pages 20and#150;45 Swallowtails are mostly large, with sailing or fluttering flight. Many have and#147;tailsand#8221; on hindwings. They rest with wings open or closed. Parnassians are only in parts of west and far northwest.
WHITES AND SULPHURS, pages 46and#150;77 Very small to very large, but mostly medium-sized. Rapid fluttering flight. Most kinds are white, yellow, or orange. Whites may sit with wings open, but sulphurs sit with wings folded above their back.
COPPERS AND HARVESTER, pages 80and#150;91 Coppers are fairly small, visiting flowers, often sitting with wings open. Harvester is scarce, found around alders in the east.
HAIRSTREAKS, pages 92and#150;123 Small butterflies with fast, erratic flight. Most sit with their wings folded above their back; only a few bask with wings spread.
BLUES, pages 124and#150;141 Small to very small, with fluttering, erratic flight. They may sit with wings folded or partly open. Often seen on flowers or at puddles.
METALMARKS, pages 142and#150;151 Mostly tropical; ours are mostly small. Some have metallic marks on wings. They visit flowers and sit with their wings spread.
LONGWINGS AND FRITILLARIES, pages 154and#150;175 Longwings are fairly large and mostly tropical. Fritillaries are mostly medium- sized, mostly orange and black, and most diverse in the north and west. They visit flowers and usually sit with their wings spread.
CRESCENTS AND CHECKERSPOTS, pages 176and#150;195 Mostly rather small butterflies. They fly fast and low, usually sit with their wings spread, often at flowers or puddles.
TYPICAL BRUSHFOOTS, pages 196and#150;229 A highly varied group, from small to large, but mostly medium-sized. Some are common at flowers, while others avoid them. Some have irregular wing shapes. Many fly with alternating flaps and glides.
SATYRS, pages 230and#150;253 Mostly medium-sized brown butterflies with floppy flight, in woods, field, tundra. They tend to sit with wings folded above their back. Only a few are regular visitors to flowers.
SPREAD-WING SKIPPERS, pages 256and#150;299 Fairly small, with stout bodies, fast flight, and usually dull colors. Most kinds sit with the wings spread, but some keep wings folded.
GRASS SKIPPERS, pages 300and#150;357 Mostly very small, with stout bodies, short wings, and fast flight. Often seen at flowers, they usually sit with the wings folded, or with the hindwings spread farther than the forewings.
GIANT-SKIPPERS, pages 358and#150;363 Medium-sized butterflies with very heavy bodies. Usually rare, seen near yucca or agave plants or at puddles, but not at flowers.