The Butterflies of Costa Rica and Their Natural History, Vol. I: Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae

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Summary: Butterflies for the whole family
Review: For all of you who are looking for a good quality source book for your art projects this is the book that will provide you, not only, with detailed drawings but also with beautiful color images of Costa Rican butterflies. I only wish there were more color photographs of the insect, but since I researched line drawings to incorporate them into design this book even exceeded my needs. It also helped my seven year old daughter to understand and appreciate the complexity of this species not only its beauty. The text is easy to understand and can make a good vacation reading

Rating:
Summary: butterly museum
Review: This book along with the photo essay book "Costa Rica : The Last Country the Gods Made" should be owned by anyone who loves Costa Rica, even if they think they despise nature studies as dry and limited. Buy it just for the color plates. This book's spirit is undeniable.

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Summary: Not meant for your daypack
Review: This hefty book is not a book you would like to drag along in you daypack (I tried, so I know). Yet, you will need it around (so, in your lodge or tent) when you're walking the rainforests and trying to make out what you've seen. It gives a clear description, added to clear drawings, of all the butterflies in the described families. That leads me to the only drawback: it's "just" a number of famlies described here, so the title is somewhat misleading. I'm eagerly awaiting the follow-up with the rest of the Lepidoptera, hoping that they will be covered in a similar way.