Butterflies: Their Natural History and Diversity

Now in paperback, this beautiful guide to moths and butterflies reveals a diverse multitude of species from around the globe and features vibrant macro images.

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'Written in clear, easily readable language and relying little on jargon, this coffee-table-style book will interest anyone captivated by this unique group of insects. Highly recommended. All library collections' Choice.

'This gorgeous book reveals a wonder on nearly every page and will enthrall natural history enthusiasts both amateur and expert alike' Library Journal (starred review).

This visual feast reveals a multitude of butterfly and moth species from around the globe. Here are some of the most colourful, spectacular and sometimes weird examples of the world’s butterflies and moths. Vibrant colour photographs and macro images complement the enlightening text written by zoologist Ronald Orenstein, who explains the scientific curiosities of these amazing insects. He makes clear how to differentiate between butterflies and moths; how caterpillars camouflage themselves; and how their feeding strategies and evolutionary adaptations help them prevail in the wild.

Butterflies has seven sections which provide comprehensive coverage of Lepidoptera. It includes the following and much more: Introduction to Butterflies: What are butterflies? Colour Patterns, Courtship, Migration and Climate Change. Butterfly Diversity: Swallowtails, Skippers, Whites, Sulphurs and Yellows, Milkweed Butterflies, Fritillaries, Emperors, Gossamerwinged Butterflies, Metalmarks. Butterfly Wings: Flight, Colour, Tails and Ornaments, Eyespots. Butterfly Life History: Mating, Eggs, Caterpillars, Metamorphosis. What Butterflies Eat: Feeding Apparatus, Flowers, Rotting Fruit, Drinking, Puddling. Butterflies in their Environment: Predators, Camouflage, Mimicry, Overwintering. Myriad of Moths: Day-Flying Moths, Silks, Giants, Mimicry, Wing Pattern, Defence.

With stunning photography, authoritative natural history and an elegant design, Butterflies brings to abundant life the unfathomable beauty and variety of butterflies and moths.