Butterflies immediately catch our attention with their beautiful wing patterns and colors. They exemplify metamorphosis with the creeping caterpillar transforming into a soaring butterfly. They have also come to be creatures of science, revealing much to biologists about evolution and the ecological processes and historical accidents that have generated the diversity of life on Earth.
In Butterflies, Dick Vane-Wright provides a complete introduction to the biology, natural history, and classification of this major group. Using examples from around the world and eye-catching photographs, he explores what it means to be a butterfly, from how the yellow birdwing finds a mate to why the African gaudy commodores produce adults of different colors.