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

About this book

For every person who has ever watched and marvelled at the magic as a butterfly emerges from a chrysalis, The Life Cycles of Butterflies is a treasure chest of amazing butterfly transformations. Readers are invited to explore and experience the life cycles of 23 common American backyard butterflies, in this unique collection of stunning full-colour, 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 behaviour, changes in the chrysalis as the wing pattern emerges, open- and closed-wing shots, and the colour 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.

Contents

Preface

1 The Butterfly from Start to Finish
      - How a Butterfly Lays Its Eggs
      - How a Caterpillar Grows
      - How a Chrysalis Is Formed
      - Continuing the Cycle
2 Butterfly Life Cycles
      - Eastern Black Swallowtail
      - Giant Swallowtail
      - Pipevine Swallowtail
      - Spicebush Swallowtail
      - Tiger Swallowtail
      - Zebra Swallowtail
      - Gulf Fritillary
      - Variegated Fritillary
      - Zebra Longwing
      - Question Mark
      - Eastern Comma
      - Common Buckeye
      - American Lady
      - Painted Lady
      - Red Admiral
      - Silvery Checkerspot
      - Red-spotted Purple
      - Viceroy
      - Monarch
      - Queen
      - Cabbage White
      - Clouded Sulphur
      - Pearl Crescent
3 Butterfly Habitat Gardening
      - Host Plants
      - Our Top Nectar Flowers
4 Other Garden Visitors
      - Assorted Butterflies
      - Assorted Skippers

Glossary
References
Easy Comparison Guides: Eggs, Caterpillars, Chrysalises
Acknowledgments
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

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.