Here is an accessible, informative, and highly illustrated book that offers a fresh view of butterflies in the East Coast states, from the Atlantic seaboard to the Appalachians. In addition to providing a wealth of facts and photos, the book is the first to furnish detailed and up-to-date photo-illustrated information on the host plants favored by particular species. With 234 full-page species accounts and accompanying range maps, plus more than 950 large-size color photos, it is an essential reference work for field observers, gardeners, educators, and conservation managers—or anyone interested in appreciating the lepidopteran world close at hand.
The introductory chapters detail the subtle ecology of the East Coast region, establishing a consistent ecological framework that enriches the individual species accounts. There is also an overview of current scientific literature and observational findings to help readers better interpret complex butterfly behaviors in the field, including seasonal movements, host plant and diapause strategies, defensive chemistry, and more.
The book is written by Rick Cech, a seasoned field observer who has spent years studying and photographing East Coast butterflies. His substantial first-hand experience with both the common and rare species in the region adds much depth and new insight to the commentary.
- 234 full-page species accounts and accompanying range maps
- 950 large-size color photos
- 215 photos of individual host plants and habitats
- 735 high-quality photos of butterflies and caterpillars
- Introductory chapters detailing the subtle ecology of the East Coast region
- An overview of current scientific literature and observational findings
- Descriptions of diapause and host plant strategies and defensive chemistry
- User-friendly with clear, concise text
Awards and Recognition
- Winner of the 2005 Best Butterfly Book to Date, Worldtwitch
"This book is not intended to be a field guide that you can tuck in your back pocket. But it is easy to use if not to carry, and its girth allows it to be wonderfully comprehensive."—Scientific American
"Over the last 15 years, butterflies have also developed a new fan base among adult bird watchers [who] . . . soon demanded butterfly field guides in color with range maps and standardized names, like the classic birding guides. . . . The most beautiful and in-depth new book isButterflies of the East Coast: An Observers Guide by Rich Cech and Guy Tudor."—Carol Stocker, Boston Globe
"This volume is one of the best books on American natural history to appear in recent years. . . . [H]ere we have a single volume that will go a long way toward educating older students and adults. It needs to be read."—American Butterflies
"This is an outstanding resource that belongs in every naturalis''s library."—Dan R. Kunkle, Wildlife Activist
"A recently published book by Rick Cech and Guy Tudor called Butterflies of the East Coast is a magnificent addition to the butterfly literature. This book will increase the skill and enthusiasm of all butterfly observers. What a labor of love this book is! All of the butterflies along the Eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida, are covered. . . . The identification sections are particularly notable to me. I think the descriptions are more useful than the descriptions in any of the other field guides on North American butterflies. Cech and Tudor's descriptions are wonderfully clear, with an economy of words."—Herb Wilson, Maine Today
"We're most fortunate this year. A number of fine natural history books have been issued just in time for summer reading. . . . Easily the most spectacular new book is Butterflies of the East Coast: An Observer's Guide by Rick Cech and Guy Tudor. This will surely become the standard text on butterflies."—Gerry Rising, Buffalo News
"This is sure to become a widely used book, suitable for a broad audience of naturalists, ecologists, and butterfly observers."—Northeastern Naturalist
"Whether you're a Lepidoptera enthusiast or just a nature lover, there is a super new observer's guide on the market, Butterflies of the East Coast.... Take it from me, you can't miss with this book."—Glenn Ayers, Burlington Times News
"A lovely coffee-table sized book with photos and definitive, up-to-date information about east coast butterflies, including range maps and photos of the host plants that nourish their caterpillars."—Annie Reid, Westborough News
"This is the most authoritative, informative, and exciting book about the identification, ecology and behavior of butterflies available. It provides a novel and eye-opening view of butterflies, expanding the horizons of how we view them. Armed with this book, we can all attract butterflies to our gardens, parks, and natural habitats, and follow all stages of their development from the caterpillar to the adult."—Joanna Burger, Rutgers University
"Butterflies of the East Coast is an exciting book, combining a very user-friendly guide for naturalists with enough information on each species to be useful to ecologists and other scientists. Designed to reach a large part of the U.S. population and of high professional quality, it elevates butterflies to the rank of birds as accessible, indeed compelling subjects of natural history."—Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University
"Butterflies of the East Coast honors the strong tradition of Eastern Seaboard butterfly books, from Scudder to Klots to Opler and Krizek to Glassberg. By treating the entire butterfly fauna of the Atlantic edge and its associated uplands, from Mt. Katahdin to Everglades hammocks, Cech and Tudor show how arctic and tropical influences combine to make the great zoological stew of the Appalachians. Along with excellent accounts and images of all the species, this fine book presents—in graceful language at a widely readable level— the fullest discussion I know of how butterflies really live and how they respond to the countryside."—Robert M. Pyle, author of the Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies and founder of the Xerces Society TI: Cech, Butterflies of the East Coast
"Butterflies have become the major scientific model system for terrestrial invertebrates, and one of the reasons is the huge amount of work that has been done on their biology by amateurs. Butterflies of the East Coast is exactly the sort of book that will encourage amateurs not just to collect or photograph butterflies, but also to learn about their ecology and behavior. One of the book's outstanding attributes is the care with which it ties butterflies to the plants their caterpillars eat, even providing pictures of the hostplants. Every naturalist in the eastern United States will want a copy of this book—and many professional biologists will also find it very useful."—Paul R. Ehrlich, Bing Professor of Population Studies, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University
