Author Description

Among the most beautiful and mysterious creatures in nature, butterflies are fascinating to watch, gorgeous to look at, and certainly stimulating to learn about. "Happiness," wrote author and romantic Nathaniel Hawthorne, "is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." Central Oregon is a butterfly haven. Home to more than 250 species of Mother Nature's flying flowers, they range in size from Swallowtails with a 4" wingspan to tiny Blues that are three-quarters of an inch from wingtip to wingtip. Author, photographer, and biologist Buddy Mays details the 40 or so most commonly seen butterflies in this helpful, and beautifully photographed, little field guide.