Any recommendations for a butterfly ‘field guide’, either the good old-fashioned paper kind or an iOS app?
If you have not seen it, we have a list of resources here on the project website - Butterfly Links | Vermont Atlas of Life.
1 Like
Right now, my favs are the swift guide for an actual book as it is the most up-to-date and focuses on field marks. But there are a lot of resources and each has its plus and minuses.
My over-all favorite is Field Guide to Butterflies of North America by Brock & Kaufman (paper). I have the Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America by Glassberg downloaded as an ebook on my phone that works well in the field. Don’t overlook regional guides to your particular area, as they will help you to narrow your search close to home. Good luck!
1 Like
I should also mention that the eButterfly computer vision is pretty darn good. If you upload a photo, hit the little eButterflyAI below it, then crop a bit if necessary (it does help the vision to make it tighter around the butterfly) and see what it gives you. This can be an aid for you too. YOu can then go to your butterfly guide and check it out. Finally, other eButterfly users too! Start a conversation on one of your or another user’s observation or checklist and everyone gets to learn!
I’ll put in plugs for the butterfly guides to PA and Ontario (yeah, even for Vermont). Here’s more on those (scroll down to the butterfly section):
1 Like