The Butterflies of Canada

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Those quintessential Victorians, lepidopterists, have surfaced in even
greater numbers in the 1990s, but this time around there’s an
environmental twist. While there are still those who like to collect
dead butterflies, today most fans are observers, not pinners. They want
to attract butterflies to their backyards and visit them at special
conservatories or butterfly-garden parks. The emphasis is on habitat and
observation of behaviors, such as migration and metamorphosis.

This indispensable reference work will be welcomed by both collectors
and observers. In addition to material on collecting ethics and
standards, the book covers creating a butterfly garden, photographing
butterflies, and conservation, and includes 294 distribution maps,
detailed information on every butterfly known to occur in Canada (some
300), and 660 color illustrations. This mass of material is logically
organized; cross-references, glossary, and an index increase
accessibility.

For each species there is a description (called a diagnosis), a
distribution map, and notes on the larva stage, flight season, range,
abundance/rarity, habits, and similar species. The color plates give
life-size images of both upper and lower surfaces, so any variation in
the markings is apparent.

The book is comprehensive and professional in presentation. Naturalists
and entomologists will find it a great addition to their reference
shelf.