Raising Butterflies in the Garden

A guide to rearing butterflies and moths in a butterfly-friendly garden.

This exciting title is for butterfly lovers and gardeners who not only want to create a butterfly-friendly garden, but also want to support butterflies and moths in order to maintain healthy populations.

Author Brenda Dziedzic noticed that there were far fewer butterflies around today than she saw in her childhood. Starting in her own garden she set out to learn why and what she could do to fix this. Raising Butterflies in the Garden is the outcome of what she learned about these fascinating insects and the native plants they depend on. In this book, Dziedzic shares the vast experience she gained in helping butterflies thrive through all stages of life. She shows readers how they can do the same -- no matter the time of year or the size of their property -- by providing all of the information and practical guidance they need.

The book features more than 500 color photographs showing the life cycles of over 35 butterflies and moths -- from egg to adult -- as well as the host and nectar plants they rely on. Each profiled species also includes a North American range map.

Featured butterfly and moth species include:

• Swallowtails -- Black Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and Spicebush Swallowtail
• Whites/Sulphurs -- Cabbage White, Great Southern White and Clouded Sulphur
• Blues -- Eastern Tailed-Blue, Karner Blue and Summer Azure
• Brushfoots -- American Lady, Monarch and Red Admiral
• Skippers -- Common Checkered-Skipper, Silver-Spotted Skipper and Wild Indigo Duskywing
• Silk Moths -- Cecropia Moth, Luna Moth and Polyphemus Moth
• Sphinx Moths -- Hummingbird Clearwing
• Tussock Moths -- Gypsy Moth.

Like the highly successful How to Raise Monarch Butterflies, Raising Butterflies in the Garden is bound to become an excellent seller in retail settings as well as a popular reference in libraries and schools.

There is no better way to develop an emotional connection with the little things that run the world than to nurture butterflies and moths from egg to adult as if they were your own children. With necessary details and lavish illustrations, Brenda Dziedzic shows us how!
-- Dr. Doug Tallamy, professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware and author of Bring Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens

Brenda Dziedzic is a gardener whose life changed when she became interested in butterflies. She is now an expert on the subject of raising Lepidopteran species and has won numerous awards for her work. Her memberships include the Southeast Michigan Butterfly Association, Monarch Watch and the North American Butterfly Association. Among her many awards and honors are Master Gardener of the Year and a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives. Her Westland, Michigan, garden has also been designated a Butterfly Habitat. She lectures widely and is a media personality on TV and radio.