Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Subfamily Polyommatinae - Blues


Common Butterflies and Skippers of Eastern North America
By Dick Walton and Greg Dodge
Brownbag Productions, 2004
Another spiffy insect DVD from Brownbag Productions, similar in format to their odonate DVD. Lovely video of 70 species of butterflies (including many common skippers) with narration describing field marks and habitat. Very thorough discussions of those species covered, showing subtle field marks and discussing color variations in some cases. I found the coverage of skippers, my nemesis, to be particularly helpful. Has a good description of Monarch migration. "Topography and glossary" in the "Resources and References" section is very handy. I like the annotated photos showing details of butterfly anatomy.

A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides)
By Paul A. Opler, Vichai Malikul, Roger Tory Peterson
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992

Butterflies of North America (Kaufman Focus Guides)
By Jim P. Brock, Kenn Kaufman
Houghton Mifflin Co, 2003
Has computer-enhanced photographic illustrations on plain backgrounds. More species are illustrated per page than in Glassberg's Butterflies Through Binoculars series. This can make it somewhat easier to use than Glassberg's books. Illustrates all North American species, and is in a compact field guide format. The serious butterflier will want to have this in addition to Glassberg's works.

Florida's Fabulous Butterflies
By Thomas C. Emmel, Brian Kenney
World Publications, 1997

The Butterflies of West Virginia and Their Caterpillars
By Thomas J. Allen
University of Pittsburgh Press, 1998
I bought this book mainly for the caterpillar images.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to Butterflies
By Robert Michael Pyle
Knopf, 1981

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The East
By Jeffrey Glassberg
Oxford University Press, 1999
I grab this book first when I'm looking to identify a butterfly.

The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide
By James A. Scott
Stanford University Press, 1992