Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies

From the foreword:
"This is a book to treasure and use. One can browse in it for a few minutes before heading to the nursery and selecting some plants to start a garden. Or one can spend hours going through it, devouring each delicious morsel of information on your favorite butterflies. . . . Careful planning with this book will make anyone a successful butterfly gardener."--Thomas C. Emmel, director, Division of Lepidoptera Research, University of Florida

"The first comprehensive guide to butterfly gardening in Florida and adjacent states . . . useful to anybody interested in butterfly gardening in Florida, but it is especially useful, even indispensable, for those who plan their garden to be an educational as well as aesthetic experience."—Mark Deyrup, entomologist, Archbold Biological Station

· presents 400+ color photos taken by the authors, showing every butterfly in adult, larva, and pupa stages
· presents practical information on garden plants, installation, and maintenance
· illustrations of both host and nectar plants
· includes inquiry-based science activities and a Florida butterfly checklist

This is a complete reference for Florida gardeners who wish to attract butterflies to their gardens with both host and nectar plants. It provides sound information on how to identify butterflies (including skippers) as well as an understanding of their biology, behavior, life cycle, and Florida habitats. Both useful and beautiful, it is the first book to cover, in full color, the adult, larval, and pupal stages and host plants of more than 60 butterflies and a dozen of our most interesting moth species.
 Beginning chapters discuss in plain language the biology, behavior, distribution, and identification of Florida butterflies. Chapters devoted to gardening explain easy methods of planning and planting a butterfly garden, including nectar plants and plants recommended for wet, dry, or shady areas. Also included are a checklist of Florida butterflies, a resource guide to butterfly and plant supplies and suppliers, and twelve hands-on science inquiry activities to help teachers and parents use their butterfly garden as an outdoor classroom in accordance with Sunshine State Standards.
 Authoritative, clear text, together with illustrations by noted wildlife artist Diane Pierce and more than 400 photos of butterflies and plants, make this a must-have reference for gardeners, butterfly enthusiasts, and teachers.

Marc C. Minno is a biologist with the St. Johns River Water Management District and author of <i>Butterflies of the Florida Keys.</i>

Maria Minno owns and operates Eco-Cognizant, Inc., an environmental consulting business, and is coauthor of <i>Handbook to Schoolyard Plants and Animals of North Central Florida.</i>

Diane Pierce is a professional painter and illustrator whose work has appeared in many books and journals, including <i>The National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Audubon Magazine,</i> and <i>The Living Bird.</i> The plates in this book, made to promote an appreciation of butterfly gardening, feature butterflies raised by Pierce and later released into the wild.