By Christine A. Smyczynski
One of the books featured on USABirdSupply.com is “A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies: A Peterson Field Guide” ($21.99). This guide book features descriptions of over 500 species of butterflies, as well as 100 color photographs and 541 color paintings.
The original guide was written by the late Roger Tory Peterson, considered one of the world’s greatest naturalists. This revised edition was updated by several experts, including Michael O’Brien, Paul Lehman, bill Thompson III, Michael Diorgio, Larry Rosche, and Jeffrey Gordon.
This pocket size guidebook is perfect to take with you when you observe butterflies in the field. However, you can also use it to identify butterflies in your garden. If you want to increase the amount of butterflies in your yard, start by researching the types of plants and flowers that attract the butterflies you want to see. Refer to the guide to see which butterflies live in your region.
Then you can plan your garden, figure out how much room you need and the number of plants required. Some may be annuals, while other perennials. Butterflies like the sun, so be sure to choose a sunny location in your yard, as well as plants that like full sun. The area, however, should be sheltered from the wind. For the health of the butterflies, don’t use pesticides on your flowers or plants.
Now sit back, with your book in hand, and start watching for the butterflies.