A nifty little guide book that I discovered in the bookstore tonight. I've taken to dissecting guide books recently as I contemplate various ways that I might someday do one myself. This one has lots to like.

• I'm most impressed with the inclusion of caterpillar images for most species
• A list of both nectar sources and larval host plants
• A life-size silhouette as a watermark to the text gives you a sense of actual size
• Detailed range maps showing not just where it resides but where it strays
• Not just large color photos, but black and white illustrations with diagnostic features detailed

A few gripes though.

• I wish the caterpillar images were bigger
• The index, while thoughtfully arranged as a checklist, doesn't have latin names
• I really wish the host plant list was a cross reference back to species

While definitely a regional book, many of the species will occur generally in the southeast, and I'd say it's worth the price for the caterpillar images alone (hard to find those).