Book Review - The Little Book of Butterflies - Princeton University Press

 

     I am approaching my second review of a book in this series with the same level of enthusiasm as the first. They really are quite an achievement in my estimation.

     Butterflies are doubtless more appealing to many people than spiders (the subject of the last review) but they are both, of course, essential elements of a healthy ecosystem and merit our admiration and respect - in the case of butterflies we can add affection that verges on universal.

     The Monarch, with its ability to sequester poisons, and its epic migration, is one of the most widely known organisms on Earth, and one of the most loved. This little book will explain how it is all accomplished. How does the Monarch overcome the chemical defences of Milkweed? How does it know when to migrate and how to reach its destination? How is its caterpillar protected from predators? Knowledge is the key to everything, and what you know and understand, and appreciate, you will love. And what you love you will protect.

     The team of authors is interesting here, a father and daughter tandem, and together they have produced a work that is readable yet packed with science, providing a complete understanding of the  life cycle of butterflies, and the myriad ways in which they form part of a functioning biological community.

     Tugce Okay continues to delight the eye with illustrations that are precise, technically accurate, and very pleasing to the eye.

      Who among us would not like to have a couple of them adorn our walls?

     In addition to Okay's representational art a series of high quality photographs enhance the text.

    It is quite astonishing that so much information can be packed into so small a volume; you will go from page to page on a path of learning that progresses seamlessly - anatomy, breeding, life expectancy, conservation, and even the role of butterflies in legend, mythology and religion.

     This is a book that should be carried with you, and the next time you observe butterflies living their lives, and wonder about some aspect of their behaviour, the answer to your questions will be right at hand.

     You will very quickly, and effortlessly become a better naturalist - and that's hard to beat.

The Little Book of Butterflies - Princeton University Press

Andrei Sourakov and Alexandra A. Sourakov; illustrated by Tugce Okay

Hardcover - US$14.95 - ISBN: 9780691251745

160 pages - 3.75 x 6 inches (9.38 x 15 cm) - 140 colour illustrations

Publication date: 02 April, 2024