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

Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Accomplishing exactly what its title promises, this book describes in text and photos the butterflies that commonly visit gardens in the eastern states. The authors, a sibling team of butterfly and gardening enthusiasts, detail every phase of each species. Beginning with a chapter that looks at the basics of butterfly egg laying, the growth of caterpillars, metamorphosis, and butterfly behavior, the authors move to the heart of the book. With exquisite close-up photography, the eggs, caterpillars, chrysalids, and adults of 23 well-known butterflies are revealed. The reader is treated to the almost architectural forms of eggs; caterpillars that can be striped, spotted, spiny, or smooth; and chrysalids that may be ornamented with flecks of gold or camouflaged to resemble a dead leaf. Adult butterflies are depicted both with wings open and folded. A field notes section for each species supplies photos of host plants and nectar plants, a map of the breeding range, and a life-size silhouette. This tidy book offers the single best resource for photos of the complete life cycle of butterflies. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
“A well-written and well-photographed text about how butterflies become beneficial insects.”—Kathy Huber, Houston Chronicle (Kathy Huber Houston Chronicle )

“The dazzling, close-up photos and compelling writing make this easily accessible to young readers…”
—Cecilia Goodnow, San Antonio Express-News (Cecilia Goodnow San Antonio Express-News )

"…a remarkable visual resource and guidebook for butterfly lovers of all ages."— Ethel Fried, Manchester (Conn.) Journal Inquirer, Sept. 30, 2006 (Ethel Fried Manchester (CT) Journal Inquirer )

A well-written and well-photographed text about how butterflies become beneficial insects.Kathy Huber, Houston Chronicle (Houston Chronicle )

The dazzling, close-up photos and compelling writing make this easily accessible to young readers Cecilia Goodnow, San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News )

a remarkable visual resource and guidebook for butterfly lovers of all ages. Ethel Fried, Manchester (Conn.) Journal Inquirer, Sept. 30, 2006 (Manchester (CT) Journal Inquirer )
Product Description
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.

About the Author
Judy Burris and Wayne Richards, a brother-sister author team, have been intrigued with butterflies since they were children. They have spent many years observing, raising, and photographing these miraculous creatures. Judy and Wayne live in Erlanger, Kentucky.

Judy Burris and Wayne Richards, a brother-sister author team, have been intrigued with butterflies since they were children. They have spent many years observing, raising, and photographing these miraculous creatures. Judy and Wayne live in Erlanger, Kentucky.