Caterpillars in the Field and Garden

Jeffrey Glassberg's acclaimed Butterflies through Binoculars guides have revolutionized the way we view butterflies. Now there's a field guide in the same practical format, and with the same emphasis on conservation, to identify caterpillars.

Caterpillars are as varied, fascinating, and often as colorful as the adult butterflies they become. This is the most comprehensive guide to these creatures available. It contains all the information necessary to find and identify the caterpillars of North America--from Two-tailed Swallowtails, some of the largest butterfly caterpillars at just over two inches when fully grown, to tiny Western Pygmy-Blues. Caterpillar seekers will learn how to distinguish between butterfly caterpillars and moth caterpillars, where and how to find caterpillars, and the visual differences between young and older caterpillars. Each species section describes how to identify the caterpillar, complete with brilliant photos--many published here for the first time. To make for easy field use, each caterpillar's key physical features, abundance, habitat, and major hostplants are listed on the same page as its photo. The book also contains a special section on butterfly gardening, offering valuable information on how to set up a butterfly garden and raise healthy butterfly caterpillars, and provides a thorough list of the plants butterflies most like to feast on.

From the concerned gardener who wishes not to kill caterpillars that may one day become beautiful butterflies to the serious butterflier wishing to take the hobby to the next level, this remarkable guide will provide all of the information necessary for an enriching caterpillar experience.

With over 900 color photos, this is the first authoritative guide to the butterfly caterpillars of North America. 413 maps.

Praise for the Through Binoculars series:

May do for butterflies what Roger Tory Peterson's landmark handbooks did for birds in the 1930s.--The Village Voice

The authors, all independent scholars, are among the leading lepidopterists in North America. This book fulfilled the reviewer's expectations that it would be a masterpiece. It presents the most comprehensive treatment of North American butterfly caterpillars available, vastly surpassing all other general references...This bool is destined to become a classic. Choice