Book Review - Moths of Western North America - Princeton Field Guides

     I use the Seabrooke Leckie and David Beadle Peterson Field Guide to the Moths of Northeastern North America on a regular basis, so I eagerly anticipated receiving Moths of Western North America. 

     And what a pleasure it has been to receive this excellent book, the result of more than 3,000 hours of work, as Leckie states.

     Excellence does not come easy!

     The Peterson Guide was published in 2012, and here we are fourteen years later, and the evolution of a field guide is in our hands. It is bigger, packed with information, superbly illustrated and user-friendly. The illustrations are photographs, in contrast to artwork in most earlier guides. Over the years, I have generally favoured drawings over photographs, but the skillful use of photographic images in many modern field guides tempers this opinion. The ubiquity of digital images means that someone is bound to have a first class photograph of just about everything.

     From an aesthetic standpoint, I have enjoyed pictures showing habitat as an added authentication of the subject, but for moths I don't think this works as well as for birds, for example. Moths are often not seen on plants, being commonly found on walls or similar neutral backgrounds; in fact many pictures are taken of moths having spent the night in the fridge to render them sluggish, perfect for picture-taking the morning after capture in a moth trap or other device.

     Moths are often very difficult to identify and these photographs really help. They have been stripped of any peripheral material and show the moth exactly as you might see it as it languishes on your table, warming up before flying away. There is great clarity in this technique and I know I will find it valuable as I start to use the guide.

     The book follows the standard treatment, almost universal in modern field guides, where the illustrations are on the right and the text and range maps on the left. The flight periods are indicated by a unique and interesting colour coding system.

     Common names are used where available, although with moths it is probably best to stick with scientific names to avoid confusion. Many species have no commonly accepted English name and vernacular variations are more often than not a route to confusion.

     The introductory sections are well done, concise yet informative, and include useful information on the ways to see moths. It may come as a surprise to some that it can be done cheaply and easily.

     All in all, this is guide that I recommend enthusiastically. I know that I will benefit greatly from it, and I have no doubt that you will too.

Moths of Western North America - Princeton Field Guides

Seabrooke Leckie

Paperback - US$35.00 - ISBN: 9780691232881

688 pages - 2,000+ colour photographs

Publication date: 27 January, 2026