US Regional Butterflies
of California CA
Here is a fairly limited selection of butterfly books supporting
the state of California. I'm always amazed about how short supply
is sometimes. I suppose I shouldn't be as I guess it's still considered
a niche area for many people. Anyway, here's what I've found so
far.
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The first of our selection is 'Florida's
Fabulous Butterflies & Moths'. This book certainly seems
popular and gets nothing but 5 stars all-round from people
who've bothered to leave comments.
Most people comment on the size and quality of the pictures,
so that makes me happy too. At that price it surely is a
bargain.
"This is the best butterfly book out there. It
shows detailed photos of both adult and catepillar stage
of almost every Florida butterfly".
"This book is a must-have, even for people who
don't live in Florida. It is filled to the brim with wonderful
photos and information on many types of North American butterflies.
Just the photos make it worth the purchase! We're adding
it to our butterfly library for reference work". |
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The next book is a similar price, but over twice as many
pages. It doesn't include moths, but personally I prefer
not to mix the two in the same book anyway.
"Perfect for backyard or field use, this guide
features large, full-color photographs of each butterfly
plus an illustration that points out key identification
marks. Each entry is arranged by color, features a life-sized
silhouette, and includes detailed information, helpful inset
images and more".
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One of a well-known series of books, this
is another that gets nothing but 5 stars from readers who
felt compelled to write.
Included are detailed range maps, much information on flight
times and abundances for each of five Florida subregions,
including reports on 70 localities in which to find butterflies.
That's always a great thing to have if you are going to
specifically find a species that you want to see.
"This is an excellent reference book for butterfly
lovers in the State of Florida. I take it with me on my
butterfly field trips and when I sit in my yard to observe
them. The book has excellent photos, detailed information
for each species, and the habitat locations. It's an easy
book to carry and pack".
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| Well if you want a comprehensive reference
on Florida's butterfly caterpillars, this is certainly it
with 167 species of caterpillars, 185 plants, 18 life cycles,
and 19 habitats. It includes 169 maps. Photos of the egg,
larva, pupa, and adult of representatives of 18 butterfly
families and subfamilies providing life cycle comparisons
that have never been illustrated before in such an accessible
reference.
"Excellent book. My back yard garden is devoted
to butterfly nectar and host plants and have found this
book invaluable when I needed to identify a caterpillar
that I had not seen before. Photographs of the caterpillar
are opposite a sketch of the Florida peninsula that show
the habitat range of that butterfly. Also photographs of
host plants, their habitat and the larvae that eat them.
This is an excellent companion book to have alongside "Butterflies
Through Binoculars - Florida".
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If you want to attract Florida butterflies
to your garden, then Your Florida Guide to Butterfly Gardening:
A Guide for the Deep South, offers a look at Florida’s
most important butterflies and the plants they prefer for
food, shelter, and egg laying.
The guide helps you select plants for a backyard where
butterflies can live and return year after year. It includes
planting diagrams, easy one-day container projects, and
full garden layouts designed for each of Florida’s
three major growing zones and suitable for gardens throughout
the Deep South.
The book was produced in partnership with the Institute
of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
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| Here's another butterfly garden book, Gardening
for Florida's Butterflies which describes 23 species of
butterflies and shows them in color photos - adults, caterpillars
and chysalises, as well as dozens and dozens of larval and
nectar food plants. Complete growing information is included
for each plant: family, plant type, geographic region, mature
size, flowering time, color, light, water and soil requirements,
propogation methods and salt tolerance.
"The photographs in this book make identification
of eggs, larvae, chrysalids and butterflies a snap. The
text isn't academic mumbo jumbo, but a conversational discussion
of how to encourage butterflies to visit your yard. And
the plant section is great for selection purposes".
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Know Any Other California Butterfly Guides?
If you have any other book details for California Butterflies
I would love to know. You can contact
us with book name, author and any other details such
as publisher etc. I'll pass that on to everyone else reading
these pages. I'll need to check though whether the book
is still in print, otherwise there is no point in telling
people. A review would be especially welcome with your
name against it if you want. |
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