The 8 Best Butterfly Identification Guides (2023 reviews)

The robert michael pyle butterfly identification guide's high-end materials makes sure that it ages well with use. This field guide has significant strengths and weaknesses. It provides much on early life stages, and this guide is no different. This book covers all of the native and introduced species of butterflies in North America north of Mexico. It even has some of the caterpillars so you can identify the butterflies at all stages.

This makes it much easier to determine the subtle differences between various butterflies. This is a wonderful book for butterfly lovers, very well written and good information and great pictures. It is also very detailed in the description of the species in the back of the book. This book is a convenient size, readily able to fit into a jacket or back pocket. This is a very nice guide including eggs, caterpillars and chrysalises as well as mature butterflies with crisp macro photographs, each being well cropped to concentrate on the creature full frame.

Why We Like This:

Perfect gift for a butterfly loving friend
Excellent field notes for each species
Nice size to tote on a field trip

Best For inspiring wonder: David J Carter Butterfly Identification Guide

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For a low asking price, david j carter butterfly identification guide has managed to overwhelm their customers by packing as many features as they could. If you know someone who loves butterflys, this makes a great gift. It is great to see representative and highlighted species from every family, as well as descriptions of their range, habitat, etc. It features mimicry, warning colors & mimicry associations, camouflage, & poisonous features, etc. The colors are all a little washed out and not very sharp.

The book size and flexible cover permits its use as a field manual. It is perfectly sized for on-the-go and very informative and detailed.

Why We Like This:

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

Best For beginner: Jim P Brock Butterfly Identification Guide

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Not everyone likes to purchase guide for their regular usage, but the jim p brock butterfly identification guide would be an anomoly. The Kaufman book makes it easy to find and identify a species and to find the very subtle differences between very similar butterflies. The illustrations are excellent with great detail and the size shadow on each illustration page is such a great reference tool. The guide makes it easy by providing clear info on ranges, habitat and seasons, plus how to accurately use the guide itself. It also shows male and female images when these differ, and also highlights the field marks to make identification easier.

Each page of illustrations also includes an "actual size" figure, which is amazingly useful in the field. The guide breaks down how to identify butterflies correctly by telling you what to look for. This book is so clear, the photos are so brilliant. It is easy to carry in a vest pocket and useful in identification.

Why We Like This:

Beautifully illustrated and detailed guide to butterflies of north america
Has so much detail and range maps for every species
High detail photos, good, and easy script for field work
Shows actual sizes of butterflies and moths

Best For experienced Butterfly enthusiast: Jeffrey Glassberg Butterfly Identification Guide

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Jeffrey Glassberg is known for creating pragmatic and minimalist guide for people on the go, and its line of jeffrey glassberg butterfly identification guide definitely falls in line with that reputation. This book will help your butterflies ids, similar species, habitats and range maps are very good. It includes female/male pictures, maps & host plants. It is a field guide to be used for quick identification of North American butterflies. It allows one to travel with it and discover more about the butterflies in the area.

It is easy to find and understand at the front of the book. The notes with arrows pointing to key ID features (a line or spot to look for in particular) is very helpful for ID. The identification points, similar species, habitats and range maps are very good. It does take a little persistence to become familiar with, it is a great guide nonetheless.

Why We Like This:

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

Best For backyard Butterfly enthusiasts: Donald Stokes Butterfly Identification Guide

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The donald stokes butterfly identification guide should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. Even if you don't wish to make a garden, you can attract them to your yard is a wonderful gift. The Butterfly Book is the best tool for adults and students to attract and conserve butterflies. It is thorough and colorful.

This book is just barely under 11" tall and 8 1/2 wide. 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 Butterfly book covers planting for both caterpillars and butterflies and butterfly behavior. It is primarily a book for Butterflies living in or visiting the United States.

Why We Like This:

Fair-sized, clear pictures to aide in identifying butterflies
Nice book for anyone interested in learning about butterflies
Enjoy butterflies in your yard or on your patio
Lot of color and identifies plants for food and plants for egg laying

Best For backyard Nature lover: Opler Butterfly Identification Guide

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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 guide. The opler butterfly identification guide is exactly that - it's a simple guide that hits all the right notes. If you really want to see exotic moths and butterflies, a more comprehensive book is for you. This introductory field guide is much, much better than the old little golden guide that lepidoptrists ( butterfly lovers) have relied on in the past. It's easy to use, and the light pocket size makes it nice for children to carry on field trips. It's a wonderful way to look up and identify your butterflies and mother.

The photos, and brief descriptions make it easy to identify the Butterflies and Moths you come across. It's a useful guide for the naturalist with a mild interest in butterflies and moths, and it's very readable for adults and kids alike. If you want just a butterfly book, this is great.

Why We Like This:

Perfect book for young and old
Good investment for long term

Best For Georgia residents: Jaret Daniels Butterfly Identification Guide

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If you are searching for a satisfactory guide for your daily usage, you cannot go wrong with the jaret daniels butterfly identification guide. It is great to know what specific area a species inhabits and when to expect them. It includes information on range and larval food plants of each butterfly. The best feature is that the guide is organized by the predominate color of the butterfly, so you can locate any butterfly you see very quickly to identify it.

This is a great book for Butterfly Identification. The layout is good, with photos and text on facing pages, and the paper is good quality. It is so easy to use.

Why We Like This:

New and hot release
One of the new comers and featured product

Best For Field Identification Of Michigan Butterflies: Jaret Daniels Great Book

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The jaret daniels great book is the best convenient guide on the market today. This little book is a gem for anyone who needs a handy reference guide. Its dimensions are a portable 4 and 1/4 by 7 inches and compact despite its 376 pages. Each butterfly also has a range map, and a diagram showing both dorsal and ventral views. It also has photographs of the males and females of a particular species.

The species are organized by color which is both advantageous and a drawback in many ways. It is easy to use and packed with information. There is a range map and also a phenogram that shows the population flux throughout the year. The pages are glossy and sturdy, so you can take this guide out in the field with you.

Why We Like This:

Good investment for long term
Delivers what they promise