Butterflies of the East Coast: An Observer's Guide

Here is an accessible, informative, and highly illustrated book that offers a fresh view of butterflies in the East Coast states, from the Atlantic seaboard to the Appalachians. In addition to providing a wealth of facts and photos, the book is the first to furnish detailed and up-to-date photo-illustrated information on the host plants favored by particular species. With 234 full-page species accounts and accompanying range maps, plus more than 950 large-size color photos, it is an essential reference work for field observers, gardeners, educators, and conservation managers—or anyone interested in appreciating the lepidopteran world close at hand.

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Reader Comments

....BUTTERFLIES of the EAST COAST by Rick Cech assisted by Guy Tudor.....is a Jaw Dropper. ...[I]t ... will be a crowning reference in our libraries. Indispensable. Unique. THANK YOU RICK...
- Earl Baldwin, MA Lepidoptera enthusiast

This long-awaited book from the president and vice-president of the New York Butterfly Club, a decade in development, covers all regularly occurring butterfly species (about 250) in the eastern coastal plain and Appalachian region of the United States from Maine to Florida....Each species account includes beautiful photographs of the butterfly (often both male and female, usually both dorsal and ventral) as well as one or more host plants. The latter is a special emphasis on this book. Range maps are clear....The book is engagingly-written, well-edited, and beautifully illustrated.
- Mike GochfeldAuthor, BF of NJ, Customer Review, Amazon.com (5 stars)

We're most fortunate this year. A number of fine natural history books have been issued just in time for summer reading.Easily the most spectacular new book is "Butterflies of the East Coast: An Observer's Guide" by Rick Cech and Guy Tudor (Princeton). This will surely become the standard text on butterflies for the states that border the Atlantic. (Sixteen plus West Virginia are in the geographic area covered.)....I found especially interesting supplementary pages on topics like specialized diets of giant swallowtails and blues; the importance of waste areas, mountaintops and prairies; the occurrence of tropical strays and the status of some questionable species. This coffee table book will not substitute for a good field guide, but it will provide rich background for an increasingly popular avocation.
-Gerry Rising, Buffalo News

WorldTwitch Best Butterfly Book To Date
Butterflies of the East Coast (BOTEC)...sets a new standard for butterfly books. Issued in hardcover, quarto format, BOTEC was not intended to be a field guide, although many butterfliers will carry it in the field, at least until a compact version becomes available. ....The Introduction provides an excellent outline of the natural history of butterflies in the various habitats found in the area covered. ....Everyone interested in the butterflies of the Eastern U.S. and Canada should own this book. In addition, anyone contemplating writing a butterfly book for a different region should have a look at the format.

Skippers are given in-depth treatment. The photographs are marvelous. The book is aptly subtitled "An Observer's Guide," rather than classified as a "field guide." ....Butterflies of the East Coast contains a wealth of other information not included in the other field guides, and I heartily recommend purchasing this book to supplement whatever field guide you may already posess, it should greatly enhance your pleasure in observing butterflies.
-John Wall, Worldtwitch website

This is by far the best book on butterflies that I have seen.
-Ronald Richael, Pottstown, PA, Customer review, Amazon.com (5 stars)

Weighing in at more than three pounds, this book is not intended to be a field guide that you can tuck in your back pocket. But it is easy to use if not to carry, and its girth allows it to be wonderfully comprehensive: 234 species each get their own big page, complete with range maps, color photographs and information on preferred plants.
-Editors, Scientific American, Book Review

"Butterflies of the East Coast-An Observer's Guide" by Rick Cech et al was also published by Princeton University Press. You won't find a better book for this region. It covers a 17 state area along the Atlantic to the Appalachians. Very easy to use, this has nearly 250 species. With up-to-date information, this makes ID so simple.

It contains nearly 900 color photos, including ones of the habitats, the food plants, and multiple shots of the butterflies. The butterfly profiles give concise information on each with details on how to identify them, where to find them, and their food plants. There is also a distribution map for each. The introduction has a diagram showing the part of a butterfly along with useful background information on where to look for butterflies, their host plants, and their habitats.
-Connie Krochmal, Book Review, Landscaping, www.bellaonline.com