A Comprehensive Guide to Identifying and Learning About Eastern North American Caterpillars

Brian: I liked that I got a very comprehensive book on caterpillars. It has a more of focus on moths when I was looking for butterflies. It’s to be expected though- there’s tons of bugs to cover and this book makes a valiant attempt to do so.

United States on Nov 24, 2023

Linda C. Bisbee: I use this in my pollinator gardens to identify and find host plants.

United States on Nov 11, 2023

Nate: I'm just a beginner diving into the world of Lepidoptera and find this book easy enough to use. Great photos and descriptions, also love that it lists the hostplant(s) of each species.

United States on Oct 08, 2023

Jennifer: The color photographs are really great for a glance while leafing through the book. The write ups are in depth, and definitely not for beginners. I would recommend reading the introduction, as it goes over parts of a caterpillar and some things that similar to them, but not caterpillars (e.g. sawflies). The book is helpful for learning familial characters that can help when out in the field. I only wish it could have a photograph of each instar for each species, as instars can vary in some species, but I know that would be an awful lot to include in one book. I recommend the Peterson field guide for moths as a great companion to this book.

United States on Jul 27, 2023

Bruce Beckler: A great guide to butterfly and moth larvae. Great photographs and easy to navigate. A great addition to my guide collection.

Canada on Feb 25, 2022

Jeanie26: Great! Thanks!

Canada on Dec 24, 2016

Jordan: Really great guide! If you're interested in caterpillars (or the moths/butterfly's they turn into) then grab this book. Beautiful photos and excellent descriptions!

Canada on Mar 18, 2016

Amazon Customer: This fine volume by David L.Wagner more than satisfies my needs as an insect hobbyist/photographer. I happen to live in Canada and will probably never see half of the species profiled within the 700 plus pages of the book.

Canada on Nov 25, 2015

W. T.: First, let me say that I've had this for two years, and it has held up very well, so I can speak highly of its durability. The binding is not coming loose at all, and I have flipped through it countless times. It is one of those books that is always laying out and ready in my apartment.
I haven't taken it to the field much, it's pretty heavy, and it really isn't that kind of guide, in my opinion. This is something that should be pored over indoors and learned from. There is so much knowledge here.

It is true that this book is not easy to use if you have no knowledge of lepidopteran families. But I think anyone who has enough interest to consider buying a book like this should do it without hesitation. As I said before, this is a book that can teach you an incredible amount. The language straddles the line between scientific detachment and human fascination. It is very, very easy to read. There are many references to classic scientific papers on certain lepidopteran families, so your self-education can really spring off from this one book, and it sets a good example to any budding biologists who may someday be writing about biology, a subject that needs all the talented...

United States on Dec 24, 2013

Greg Pohl: This doesn't cover ALL of the thousands of caterpillar species (that would be just about impossible), but it covers a good chunk of the commonly encountered ones. This book works reasonably well for western North America too.

Canada on Jun 21, 2013