Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest

I ordered this book because I was frustrated with the books I had that only showed a small handful of butterflies. I wanted something more comprehensive, but not weighty and complicated. So far I am not disappointed. I recently took a trip and saw some butterflies I did not know. I don't know many. I snapped the best pictures I could. When I got home I refered to this book and was able to learn the identities of the butterflies. If I was really focusing on butterflies I would have been better served to take the book with me. I learned that there are key markings that help sort them out and I could not see all of these in my photos. Still, the book was the best I have used for my purposes. I gave it a 4 rather than 5 because in some instances the photos only show the underside of the wings and I wanted to see the top side too. Realistically though, the underside is what you see when most butterflies are sitting still.

Perfect for identifying local butterflies. The book divides the butterflies into 118 of the most common species with photographs of each, often including photos of the caterpillar stage.There is a 1 page overview of each, giving the wingspan, description, range in PNW, habitat, and host plants. This is followed by a narrative with highlights about each species, including how to distinguish one butterfly from a nearly identical one - such as the Painted Lady from the West Coast Lady.

It's exactly what it says it is. Bright colors. Easy to read. Durable lamination. Kids love it for back yard ID.

I bought this in a local bookshoppe and still trying to identify a particular Butterfly I saw up on the Lolo Motorway, was disappointed it was not in the book. Otherwise it was a very nice informative book with great photos.

Comprehensive with excellent information about flora and fauna.