What, another butterfly gardening book? Yes, but this one is different - and better! It's the intelligent organization that makes this little book so useful and a must-have for anyone in the southeastern US (USDA zones 8-11) who wants to attract butterflies. The first half of the book is organized into sections that include groups of butterflies with similar larval food requirements. Each section includes descriptions, life history information, and excellent color photos of adults, caterpillars and chrysalises of one or more butterfly species, and descriptions, cultivation information and photos of the larval host plants for those particular butterflies. So you can see and learn about the butterfly and the plants it depends on right on the same pages. Twenty-four butterfly species are treated in detail this way, and a supplemental table lists the larval foods and Florida distributions for an additional 27 species. The second half of the book is devoted to nectar plants, the plants whose flowers adult butterflies feed on. Again, beautiful color photographs are accompanied by descriptions and cultural information for more than 40 species of flowering plants. There's a list of sources for butterfly plants, information and organizations; a list of public butterfly gardens in Florida; and a quick reference chart that includes the name, size, drought tolerance, light requirements, flower color, bloom time, and use (nectar or larval food) for more than 120 trees, shrubs, vines, annuals and perennials.
