Butterflies and Moths: A Companion to Your Field Guide

This book has some of the best details I've come across in terms of the biology, habitat, predators/hazards, defenses, night observation, and tools of the trade for collecting, rearing, photographing these insects. It's written in layman's terms yet has so much information that you can really learn a lot. There are great pictures throughout (more are B/W but there is a section of color plates with incredibly good detailed pictures). One of the things I really like about this book is that the species of caterpillars, moths/butterflies are relatively common species that I've seen around our gardens here in Virginia so there's immediate relevance. This is definitely a good companion to a field guide as the sub-title suggests. A field guide will give you the highlights while this book will really enable you to dig in deep and learn about these marvelous, beautiful beings.