The 9 Best Butterfly Identification books (2023 reviews)

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Best Overall: Buy: Robert Michael Pyle Butterfly Identification Book READ REVIEW

Best For inspiring wonder: Buy: David J Carter Butterfly Identification Book READ REVIEW

Best For beginner: Buy: Jim P Brock Butterfly Identification Book READ REVIEW

Best solid Well made Book: Buy: Brenda Dziedzic Butterfly Identification Book READ REVIEW

Best For observer Of Butterflies In Florida: Buy: Jaret Daniels Butterfly Identification Book READ REVIEW

Best For experienced Butterfly enthusiast: Buy: Jeffrey Glassberg Butterfly Identification Book READ REVIEW

Best For backyard Butterfly enthusiasts: Buy: Donald Stokes Butterfly Identification Book READ REVIEW

Best For backyard Nature lover: Buy: Opler Butterfly Identification Book READ REVIEW

Best resource Book: Buy: Jim Weber Butterfly Identification Book READ REVIEW

Best Overall: Robert Michael Pyle Butterfly Identification Book

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Robert Michael Pyle line of book come in a pretty wide variety of styles, so you can definitely find one that suits your individual preferences and needs. Petersons is better for taking into the field for things that move (animals and insects) due to the layout which allows for quicker identification. This book covers all of the native and introduced species of butterflies in North America north of Mexico. It is easy to use and thorough as other books on the subject. It even has some of the caterpillars so you can identify the butterflies at all stages.

The volume is a convenient size to carry and has a sturdy plastic cover. It tends to curl back towards the binding, leading to creases if you're not careful. It is easy to use and bright pictures that make identification easy. This makes it much easier to determine the subtle differences between various butterflies.

• Excellent guide for accurately identifying butterflies
• Very informative for the nature lover
• Excellent field notes for each species
• Nice size to tote on a field trip

Best For inspiring wonder: David J Carter Butterfly Identification Book

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David J Carter has been making great book for years, thanks to a combination of clever design and appropriate materials. This is a great book for someone that likes nature. It is scrutinized for accuracy by the Smithsonian institute's scientific staff. It is great to see representative and highlighted species from every family, as well as descriptions of their range, habitat, etc. If you know someone who loves butterflys, this makes a great gift.

These handbooks are perfectly sized for on-the-go and very informative and detailed. It also has a cool moth section too. The book size and flexible cover permits its use as a field manual.

• Colors are vivid and great detailed photos to pull from
• Very educational with lots of photos
• Very nice visual guide to the diversity of lepidoptera

Best For beginner: Jim P Brock Butterfly Identification Book

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Compared with other book in this category, the jim p brock butterfly identification book has a convenient design. The Kaufman book makes it easy to find and identify a species and to find the very subtle differences between very similar butterflies. There are more than 2,200 depictions of butterflies in natural conditions, all of them processed digital images based on photographs of live animals. The illustrations are excellent with great detail and the size shadow on each illustration page is such a great reference tool. The illustrations are clear, and the species' habits are concise and interesting.

The range of illustrations is excellent and the depiction of the butterflies as they are seen in nature (rather than as pinned and spread museum specimens) is very helpful and appropriate. The guide breaks down how to identify butterflies correctly by telling you what to look for. It also shows male and female images when these differ, and also highlights the field marks to make identification easier. This book provides great pictures and lots of information needed to identify butterflies.

• The ultimate book for easy identification for beginners
• Excellent field guide and butterfly identification tool
• High detail photos, good, and easy script for field work
• Beautifully illustrated and detailed guide to butterflies of north america

Best solid Well made Book: Brenda Dziedzic Butterfly Identification Book

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This scientific guide to nurturing a butterfly-friendly garden is written in a very clear and accessible style and the author's passion and expertise come alive on every page. Brenda Dziedzic has appealing photographs of dozens of species of swallowtails, whites and sulfurs, blues, brushfoots, and skipper butterflies, and silk and sphinx moths. This book has something of interest for adults and children alike. It includes several pages about setting up a butterfly garden and raising butterflies and moths indoors.

This is a well written book that is beautifully bound and illustrated. It also quickly provides answers to questions about how long an egg will take to hatch or how long before a chrysalis ecloses. The book also quickly provides answers to questions about how long an egg will take to hatch or how long before a chrysalis ecloses. This is a great first book for readers interested in planning pollinator gardens, a launching pad for further exploration into local flora and fauna. This book is so informative and where ever you live, you will be able to know more of how to draw butterflies to your garden as well as make sure they make it to fully formed butterflies.

• Highly recommend for much more than growing a butterfly garden
• Practical butterfly/moth gardening guidance everyone can put to use
• Very informative and lots of great colorful photos

Best For observer Of Butterflies In Florida: Jaret Daniels Butterfly Identification Book

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate book. The jaret daniels butterfly identification book is exactly that - it's a simple book that hits all the right notes. It tells you what larval plants to include in the garden for each butterfly which is very helpful when putting in another garden. Unlike many, it includes photos of the male and female of the species, photos of larvae and an actual-sized silhouette of the butterfly. It provides field markings, time of year likely to be seen, and where it can be seen.

The range map is especially useful along with the color coding. It is easy to distinguish and look up the different butterfly. The sections (which are divided by the color of the butterfly) make it very easy to find them. This is a nice, easy to use book.

• Concise information, great pictures, easy to use
• Good size to carry or leave in vehicle
• Perfect guide to attract and cate for butterflies

Best For experienced Butterfly enthusiast: Jeffrey Glassberg Butterfly Identification Book

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The jeffrey glassberg butterfly identification book is capable of outshining several other book featured in this list in overall features for the price point. It is a field guide to be used for quick identification of North American butterflies. It includes female/male pictures, maps & host plants. The photos of each species usually have some type of arrow that points out key characteristics, which is quite helpful. It is great to get another thoughtful perspective on butterfly species identification, with a range of photographs showing regional variations.

This is a great identification book for both the newbie and the experienced butterfly enthusiast. The identification points, similar species, habitats and range maps are very good. It is a beautiful field guide that should be used as a visual reference. There is a range map for each specie and sub-specie, which are color coded for the number of broods.

• Using also for some needle felting projects,great color illustrations
• Satisfyingly complete and up-to-date as to strays and recent range expansions
• An excellent resource for butterfly identification
• A must have for butterfly enthusiasts

Best For backyard Butterfly enthusiasts: Donald Stokes Butterfly Identification Book

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For a low asking price, donald stokes butterfly identification book has managed to overwhelm their customers by packing as many features as they could. Every gardener should have this book, even if you don't wish to make a garden, you can attract them to your yard is a wonderful gift. The butterfly book covers planting for both caterpillars and butterflies and butterfly behavior. It provides top and bottom views of the butterflies that it contains. It is far from complete in its description of butterfly behavior, planting for butterfly gardens and butterfly identification.

The number of butterflies identified is smaller than some guides, but the details about their preferred plants are very good. The book is an easy read and can be completed cover to cover in under an hour. Even if you don't wish to make a garden, you can attract them to your yard is a wonderful gift.

• Nice book for anyone interested in learning about butterflies
• Lot of color and identifies plants for food and plants for egg laying
• Enjoy butterflies in your yard or on your patio

Best For backyard Nature lover: Opler Butterfly Identification Book

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Best part: opler butterfly identification book costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. This introductory field guide is much, much better than the old little golden guide that beginning lepidoptrists ( butterfly lovers) have relied on in the past. Like other Peterson First Guides, it's compact and fits nicely into a pants pocket or the side slot of a backpack. It includes plants the caterpillars of several butterflies need. It shows accurate color drawings of the most common species, along with the food plants and, in some cases, the other life stages such as larvae and pupae.

It's easy to use, and the light pocket size makes it nice for children to carry on field trips. The photos, and brief descriptions make it easy to identify the Butterflies and Moths you come across. This will work great for the grand kids to identify butterflies they find.

• Perfect book for young and old
• Good investment for long term

Best resource Book: Jim Weber Butterfly Identification Book

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Jim Weber is known for creating pragmatic and minimalist book for people on the go, and its line of jim weber butterfly identification book definitely falls in line with that reputation. It provides information on which plants are larval hosts for butterflies. It also includes native range by species, so you can determine if you should invest time and resources growing plants for a given butterfly. This way, you can compile a list of plants that will draw the most butterflies into your garden. It provides a link to each species of butterflies and moths of north america. It has great pictures of the plant, caterpillar and butterfly.

• A unique field guide for plants and texas butterflies
• One of the new comers and featured product