BUTTERFLY HUNTER'S HANDBOOK

Be it the Monarch that decorated the ceremonial headdress of Chief Sitting Bull or the exquisite jade artwork of the Chou dynasty, lepidoptera have always played a part in human life. This book expresses the delights so many have in these blithe, beautiful beings, using both superbly illustrated prints alongside photographs to enhance the text. Despite the destruction of habitat and pesticides, there is hope for these fragile jewels. The most revealing specimens have been those found encased in amber, the oldest dated to about 100 to 140 million years ago. With their Latin names, we learn the butterfly families of swallowtails, white sand sulphurs, gossamer-winged, metalmarks, brush-footed, and true skippers. Each butterfly has four stages to its life - egg, caterpillar (larva), chrysalis (pupa) and adult, and they mature through metamorphosis. Beautiful coloured artworks show the life cycle of the Silver-bordered Fritillary, including a drawing of the egg magnified. Wondrous wings, predators, with over 300 photographs and illustrations it is an exquisite gallery with all the colours, rainbows, blues, reds, browns, spots and other markings; our favourite here must be the Blue Morpho, an iridescent blue butterfly that lives in the rainforest of South and Central America which has bronze-coloured eyespots. Adults drink the juices of rotting fruit using their straw-like proboscis. Beautiful layout and design with species photographed, short description, Latin and common names and detailed in a key their size, locality and other stats. There is also expert advice and tips on what to look for as well as where and when to explore to encourage the best butterfly encounters. 192pp, colour.