The Butterflies of Canada is a valuable collaboration by knowledgeable authors. Ross A. Layberry provided a database of over 90,000 records on butterfly distribution; Peter W. Hall and J. Donald Lafontaine are both scientists with the Research Branch of Agriculture and Agri-food Canada; John Fowler supplied impressive photography.

Like all good natural history guides, this one also uses a consistent, easy-to- follow format to describe the 293 known species. Details on identification, abundance, and distribution, flight season, and general life history are provided along with maps and photographs for each species. The life-size photographs are both visually appealing and practical, constituting one of the main values of the book. In addition, those who have struggled through other identification guides will appreciate the section called “Similar Species” when trying to distinguish between lookalike butterflies.

The authors’ claim that the book is more than a field guide is, however, exaggerated. Approximately 90% of the book is devoted to species accounts, a percentage in keeping with many other guidebooks. The brief chapters on history, conservation, observation, and photographing, for example, do not provide enough weight to elevate the book beyond field guide status. Unfortunately the large, 8 132 x 11 format does not lend itself to use in the field, a problem the authors acknowledge. Nevertheless, Layberry, Hall, and Lafontaine have provided a valuable contribution to Canadian natural history literature.

Few Canadian non-fiction books will appeal to as wide a range of ages, expertise or interests as The Butterflies of Canada. With minimal help, any Grade 5 student who wants to know about a butterfly they have captured in the schoolyard will be able to use this book. Professional entomologists will also value the convenient overview, particularly the information on butterfly distribution that has been, until now, unavailable in print. Even those who don’t have lepidopterist leanings will find it hard not to admire the lively colour and visual appeal the photographs of butterflies offer.