Includes index.

Butterflies are among nature's loveliest and most intriguing pollinators. Grace your garden with their unique beauty and magic and contribute to wildlife conservation at the same time: Even a small, conventional garden can be a significant nature reserve for butterflies, particularly in urban areas. This guide contains everything you need to know to lure these exquisite insects to your garden-and encourage them to linger there. Like all Brooklyn Botanic Garden handbooks, it features organic and sustainable gardening practices. What's inside: Butterfly biology for gardeners, Practical tips on designing a butterfly garden-whether you're starting from scratch or adding to an existing garden, An encyclopedia of the most commonly found butterflies, including beautiful full-color illustrations, A butterfly plant encyclopedia with detailed information on scores of widely grown nectar plants, The best butterfly plants for your region, and much more. Book jacket.

understanding of Costa Rica's Lepidoptera and has brought about advances in restoration ecology of tropical habitats, biodiversity prospecting, biotechnology, and ecotourism development.

A French photographer who focuses on the animal world and a French naturalist detail the diversity and life cycle of butterflies, moths, and caterpillars (some of whom are described as "cannibals and carnivores as sweet as honey" in reference to eating siblings and producing an ant-attracting substance). Stunning color close-up photos show how members of Lepidoptera are masters of mimicry and other survival strategies. Indexing is by scientific and common names; the volume includes a short bibliography. Translated from the French. Presented in an 11x9.5" format. Annotation #169;2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

For every person who has ever watched and marveled at the magic as a butterfly emerges from a chrysalis, this book is a treasure chest of amazing butterfly transformations. Readers are invited to explore and experience the life cycles of 22 common backyard butterflies, in this unique collection of stunning fullcolor, up-close photography, all taken in a live garden setting. From the Black Swallowtail to the Monarch, the Question Mark to the Painted Lady, each butterfly is shown from start to maturity, with sequential photographs of the egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and emerging butterfly. Additional detail shots highlight caterpillar behavior, changes in the chrysalis as the wing pattern emerges, open- and closed-wing shots, and the color variations between the male and female butterflies. Authors Judy Burris and Wayne Richards, a brother-and-sister team, tell how they created the ultimate butterfly havens in their own backyards, planting every kind of caterpillar host plant and nectar-producing flower imaginable. With cameras in hand, they set out on a mission to record the lives of all the butterflies that flocked to their gardens. Readers learn how they can create their own butterfly gardens, with specific host plants suggested for each species, most of which are found across North America. This richly visual and highly browsable guide to the life cycles of butterflies will appeal to wildlife enthusiasts, gardeners, school teachers, and families alike.

Monarch butterflies spend their early lives in what appear to be badly-knit striped sweaters. They hang around, literally, for a while in mottled cocoons, and then they emerge wet-winged but glorious. They migrate thousands of miles from a wide stretch of North America to a confined space in Mexico, where they overwinter, some say 6 million to an acre in the trees. Although the Mexican government has protected areas as reserves for the Monarchs, it appears that other factors, such as finding appropriate environments in North America and on the way to and from Mexico, are causing the Monarch population to dip precipitously. Schappert (U. of Texas at Austin) provides remarkable photographs of Monarchs, shows how forest clearing, pesticides, the introduction of alien species and tourism have endangered them, and gives ways to preserve them and their ways. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Part natural history, part gardening guide, Butterflies in the Backyard contains solid information on butterfly behavior and habitats, and also explains in careful detail how to attract these lovely creatures to your backyard with plants and feeders. Includes up-to-date information on migration and conservation efforts, as well as an identification guide for the most common North American species. Book jacket.

Transform any garden into a haven for beautiful butterflies! Renowned butterfly specialists--scientists, nature writers and artists, directors of biological preserves--reveal the secrets of attracting and caring for these delicate creatures. With more than 80 beautiful photographs, this inspiring manual focuses on the amazing lifecycle of butterflies, especially emphasizing caterpillars and their food plants. Regional experts from every region from north to south and coast to coast, describe their own gardens and the native flora that butterflies love. Profiles cover specialty gardens, including herb gardens, children's gardens, and a wildflower meadow. Information on butterfly biology, family classification, migration, and conservation make this a valuable complement to butterfly guidebooks as well as a great gardening guide on its own.