When it comes to insects, no field guide is sufficiently comprehensive to cover all the possible species to be found in even a small geographic area. But sometimes, covering all the possibilities isn’t necessary; sometimes – particularly with beginning naturalists or the simply curious – even covering only a few is fine.
For many years, Robert Michael Pyle’s “The Butterflies of Cascadia” has been my go-to reference guide for any non-moth lepidopteran seen in my beloved Pacific Northwest. However as this book is now out of print with even used copies selling for double its original cover price – and unread ones classifiable as “new” well over $100.00 – I can’t very well recommend it to those seeking a guidebook to the area’s species.
When it comes to field guides pertinent to the United States and Canada, while the massive full country editions are often very helpful for study and reference, the breath-taking variety of eco-regions to be found within the continent’s temperate zone renders such volumes often far too large and cumbersome for field use.
Despite their vast, open stretches of sand where, other than some waving swaths of unusually hardy grasses, living things seem sparsely represented at best, the dunes of the Pacific Northwest are actually teeming with a wide ranging variety of life – if you know where to look.