The Life Cycles of Butterflies: From Egg to Maturity, a Visual Guide to 23 Common Garden Butterflies.

JUDY BURRIS AND WAYNE RICHARDS

With this guide to butterflies, Burris and Richards encourage other people to have as much enthusiasm as they do for these creatures. Butterflies are remarkable for many reasons, starting with their metamorphosis from egg, to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly. In the first chapter, Burris and Richards follow this cycle by offering brief descriptions, nontechnical explanations, and informative color photographs. Subsequent chapters document the life cycles of 23 common species of butterflies. Each description includes the butterflies' common and Latin names, identifying markings, breeding range, plants on which females lay their eggs, plants from which butterflies derive nourishment, and life cycle. The book ends with an illustrated list of plants that serious butterfly enthusiasts should cultivate, comparison guides for eggs, caterpillars, and chrysalises, and tips for telling a moth from a butterfly. Storey Books, 2006, 160 p., color photos, paperback, $16.95.