North America's Favorite Butterflies: A Pictorial Guide

Offers brief descriptions of butterflies, including Latin and common names, size, distinguishing features, and geographic locations

Putnam lectures regularly, to adults and children, about the entire life cycle of butterflies. This book reads like such a talk. Each family group of butterflies has a page of brief information, including such facts as the number of species worldwide, the number of North American species, typical family traits (size, colors, flight pattern, basking position, and resting position), and egg, caterpillar, and chrysalis description. Color photograph(s), many of them taken by Putnam's photojournalist husband, and a paragraph of information follow for each of 50 selected species. The book's small format allows for a full-page photograph opposite the text. The information is anecdotal or interpretive, not field-guide descriptive. As the introduction states, the purpose is to show that "butterflies are amazing." It seems likely to accomplish that for amateur naturalists. An optional purchase for public libraries. (Photos seen only in black and white.)?Nancy J. Moeckel, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, Ohio
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.