In his introduction to Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest, William Neill eloquently explains that this new work is not so much a second edition of his earlier Guide to Butterflies of Oregon and Washington as it is a metamorphosis of that previous work into something entirely new just as a butterfly itself is to its own previous stage as a caterpillar. With the many enhancements found in this new book – the addition of eighteen species accounts, caterpillar photos included with 57 species, additional images of eggs, pupae, and alternate views of adults – it is entirely reasonable of him to describe it in such a way.
While not an exhaustive field guide to all the butterfly species of the Pacific Northwest, Neill and Hepburn’s new book does a fine job of presenting the most commonly seen species to be found there. As the work is intended to be useful both to beginners as well as those with more experience studying butterflies, the species are mostly presented in taxonomic order with the notable exception of such showy species as the Monarch, Red Admiral, the three “Ladies,” and a few others grouped together as “Aristocrats” to allow beginners to locate these more quickly.
However what will be most valuable to beginners is the very well written 42 page introduction to the general natural history of butterflies and the “Quick Guide” table found inside the front cover of the book. This guide presents the most common visual cues one might see in the field – color, eye spots, style of flight – and offers suggestions on which butterfly species accounts should be consulted in the book. While individual species range maps would have been welcome, easy-to-follow range explanations on each species page match well with the regional map included in the introduction.
Title: Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest
Authors: William Neill (Author, Photographer), Doug Hepburn (Photographer)
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Mountain Press Publishing Company
Publication Date: September 1, 2007
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0878425373
ISBN-13: 978-0878425372
In accordance with Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255, it is disclosed that the copy of the book read in order to produce this review was provided gratis to the reviewer by the the editors of Bird Watcher’s Digest, the publication in which the review was originally published.
