This is a must-have book for both novice and
experienced butterfly gardeners. The photographs of
the stages will leave you in your own stage of
delighted shock. Six stars.
Just as I was complaining about not being able to
locate a butterfly garden book that identifies the
developmental stages of common garden butterflies,
this book appears. I’m excited about my gardening
possibilities this next spring and summer and have
siblings Judy Burris and Wayne Richards to thank.
They wrote the book I would if I could.  
-- Epinions "pestyside" from Houston

This tidy book offers the single best resource for
photos of the complete life cycle of butterflies.
-- Nancy Bent (BookList) American Library Association

"…a remarkable visual resource and guidebook for
butterfly lovers of all ages."  -- Ethel Fried,
Manchester (Conn.) Journal Inquirer

“A well-written and well-photographed text about how
butterflies become beneficial insects.”
-- Kathy Huber, Houston Chronicle

“The dazzling, close-up photos and compelling writing
make this easily accessible to young readers…”
-- Cecilia Goodnow, San Antonio Express-News

       ~ From Amazon.com ~

This book is the result of research by experts that are
able to teach others in most practical ways. Along with
that, the photos are beautiful and give a glimpse into
the intermost workings of nature that a reader has
never seen or imagined. Practical guides for planting
your own butterfly garden will give you a taste of
paradise in your own back yard. A "must have" for
anyone intereted in butterflies, from the seasoned to
the novice seeking to know more about the subject.
-- E. Landis

I am very pleased with my book. This is the second
one I have bought. I gave it as a gift to a good friend
who loves butterflies.  -- Dianne W. Holland

A most excellent book both photographic and
informational. The authors are very interested in this
subject and are happy to answer questions from
readers. No other book has this type of photographic
reference for eggs, caterpillars and host plants. Can't
say enough positive things about this one!
-- Belinda J. Ambrose

For anyone interested in butterflies this is a must for
your library. Simple enough for a four year old to
enjoy it will also appeal to the serious butterfly
gardener who wishes to establish a habitat for these
lovely creatures. I will enjoy it over and over. It also
will make a great gift to your school library or just to a
friend. This Master Gardener gives it an A+.
-- Barbara R. Garrett "Master Gardener"

I love having the pictures of all stages of the
butterflies life span to identify with in my own
gardens. This book is for every age and everyone
who is interested in butterflies.
-- Connie B.

The best book I've read on butterflies. Excellent
pictures to identify each butterfly as well as the egg
and caterpillar. Also extremely helpful is the listing
and photo of host and nectar plants for each butterfly.
I purchased another one to give my grandson for his
birthday.  -- Donald H. Miller

I have seen this listed as a children's book, and it
would be appropriate for many children, but I find it
quite beautiful and informative enough to be suitable
for adults as well.  -- Li Roth

I bought this for my five-year-old for her birthday to
accompany the butterfly kit. Some info is a little
advanced, but most of it, she understands and is
fascinated by it. The photographs are great, and the
layout is spot on.  -- J. Smith "momsworld"

This is a MUST HAVE book for anyone interested in
butterflies, either for a good read, or for learning how
to attract them to your garden. The photographs are
beautiful with excellent descriptives of each, from the
egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly. Field notes
are included for each butterfly, and host plants and
nectar plants are clearly defined by photographs.
Incredibly informative! I highly recommend this book
from ages 10 to adults.  -- L. Lutman

The wonderful book is well-organized, with lots of
great information for the casual and serious observer
of nature. Great series of photos 23 butterflies' life-
cycles. There are maps of the breeding-range, graphs
of the life-cycle season, and a size of wingspan
drawing, which are all very helpful.  All in all, this is a
book anyone interested in knowing more about
butterflies will cherish, and pull out to show children.
A fabulous gift for a serious gardener, or a curious
child, aged 5 to 12 especially!  -- Patty J.

I bought this book at the same time that I bought the
Audubon book on butterflies. This one is so much
better because it gives useful details and pictures
about the entire life cycle, which part of the US it's
found in, host plants,etc. The Audubon book has just
one picture of each butterfly whereas this book has
dozens of pictures from egg to caterpillar to emerging
butterfly not to mention host plants and where to
plant them.  -- Pa MG
I really am not a fan of bugs — the live variety
or the type depicted in books, but “The Secret
Lives of Backyard Bugs” is an amazing book full
of easy text and color photos depicting the
lives of various bugs, such as aphids, stink
bugs, katydids, grasshoppers, assorted moths
and butterflies.  The layout is easy to follow, the
glossy pages are top-notch and the photos are
wonderful. It really made those bugs — not
counting butterflies, of course — not seem
quite so gross.  -- Susan Winlow
Daily Republic, California

The pages are filled with lots of great color
photos arranged in a magazine-like format. The
whole book seems like it could be the bug
edition of Ranger Rick. The back of the book
has comparison charts to help identify eggs,
larvae, pupae, and adults. It would make a great
home reference book for any kid interested in
bugs.  -- Kaylee from Goodreads

Intended to inspire budding entomologists to
get their hands dirty and scare mom with some
creepy crawlies in the process, the volume
satisfies on both scores. Older readers will
glom onto the wealth of knowledge about life
cycles and information on how to grow the best
host plants for these bugs, while the picture-
book format will undoubtedly elicit excited
choruses of "Gross!" from younger readers.
The species highlighted are commonly found
across the United States and readers are
challenged to find these bugs for themselves,
with tips provided on how to raise moths and,
importantly, protect bug habitat.
-- Foreword Reviews

Kids love bugs, and this magazine-sized, slick-
paper book is crawling with them. Worms,
spiders, butterflies, moths, caterpillars, bees,
beetles and more. There are bug eggs, bugs in
larval stages, pupae stages. Some make
cocoons, some fly, many crawl. Some eat plants,
some eat other bugs.  This is a very nice nature
book for children ages 8-12. It will provide them
not only with answers but with some good
questions too. The best books do that.
-- Greg Langley
The Advocate  Baton Rouge, LA

Stunning photography!
Every living thing progresses through life
cycles, often with bugs we only see the adult
stage. In awe filled photography we are able to
see complete life cycles of insects and spiders
from eggs to larvae, pupa to adult.
There is a description of each insect, order it
belongs to, and trivia facts for each insect
displayed. This is by far one of the most
interesting bug books I have ever read.
It also includes a top host and nectar plant
guide, comparison guides for each stage of the
life cycle, and briefly touches on plant and soil
life.  Again, amazing photography, simple yet
very informative for all ages! Detailed
descriptions and photographs make this book
interesting even for those who aren't overly
found of insects.  -- M. Schemanski
melanieski.blogspot.com       


~ From Amazon.com ~

The first thing I noticed about The Secret Lives
of Backyard Bugs is the vivid and very detailed
pictures. You can see amazing details like the
individual hairs on the back of a caterpillar or
the pupil of the leaf hopper's eye! The colors
really stand out!  The introduction of this book
will come in handy to new gardeners: sections
on the seasons, composting, plant life cycles,
and helpful pollinators. This is a short
introduction, though. Most of the book is about
the bugs!
My kids are huge fans of bugs and the amazing
photography really caught their eye. My favorite
part of this book is the handy comparison guide
in the back for each stage of the life cycle. Go
out, find a bug, open it to those comparison
guides and find your critter. What a great way to
keep your kids busy outside!
-- Diane Hoffmaster

The excellence continues! The authors of `The
Life Cycles of Butterflies' have released
another work of art on several levels in this
second book. The photography is matchless,
their rich knowledge is the result of their
relentless pursuit of learning, and the greatest
achievement of all is the mastery of conveying
their knowledge in such a way that the young
child as well as the veteran naturalist will both
be satisfied with this gem of a book. -- E. Landis

Outstanding book; bought for my 10 year old
granddaughter who has a keen interest in
bugs. Especially useful were color photos of
each bug's life cycle stages, providing more of
what to look for in the back yard. Her interests
were heightened and she is now using the
book as she explores and discovers.
-- OleLar
Book Reviews
...This is a beautiful book and will reawaken the
reader's interest in the environment that is all
around us, in yards and parks.  
-- Donald Logsdon Jr. -- National Science
Teachers Association (NSTA)

A terrific and essential set of field notes for
connecting with nature -- and its nurture.
-- Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the
Woods" and "The Nature Principle"

Nature's Notes presents an attractive,
accessible package, perfect for encouraging
kids to begin their own nature observation
adventures.  This project book comes complete
with loads of stimulation and learning incentive
for kids.  Nature's Notes would make the
perfect summer vacation gift for any child.        
-- Midwest Book Review

One of the great joys of my life is showing my
young neighbor friends the beauty and wonder
of nature, and to watch their joy in learning
about a bird, butterfly, bug, or other critter that
we discover in my wildlife garden.
Nature's Notes, by Judy Burris and Wayne
Richards, is full of tips and projects to make
learning about nature fun for kids of all ages.
As an adult, you'll appreciate the stunning
photography that fills these pages. You'll also
get to know your own wildlife garden much
better by using the tips in this delightful book.
If you've got kids or grandkids you will watch
their sense of wonder, curiosity, and joy in the
beauty of nature unfold as you use this book as
a guide to spark their enthusiasm in the
amazing things that can be discovered right
outside your back door.
I'm especially excited about the section of the
book that teaches how to improve your nature
photography. Judy Burris and her brother
Wayne Richards are professional
photographers who have successfully
combined their skill with their cameras with
their passion for teaching people to see the
beauty of nature around us.
Nature's Notes is a gorgeous spiral-bound
book, which will make it easier to take with you
into the field as you follow along with the
nature projects they have included in this book.
By following along, you'll discover more about
fungi, snakes, flowers, all manner of insects,
and birds. A simple walk in the woods will
become an exploration of major discovery.
So pick up your copy of Nature's Notes now,
grab your camera, and take the hand of a child
in your life and go out and discover the beauty
and wonders of nature in your wildlife garden
and beyond.  -- Carole Brown, author of  
"Ecosystem Gardening"        

~ From Amazon.com ~

Nature's Notes opens people's eyes to the
world of nature in their own backyard and
neighborhood. From critters to flowers and how
to take better photos of what we see, Nature's
Notes draws us into this world of nature rather
than just walking by or through it. Photographs
(a frog as small as a dime, a caterpillar blending
with a leaf) to comparisons (dragonfly or
damselfly) with how-to instructions (raise a
butterfly, make a bird nesting bag), and more,
this book will keep you occupied all summer.
-- Edith E. Smith

This is a great book for parents and kids alike.
Lots of fun things to do and great information!!!
Keep up the great work guys. Make sure to
check out their other two books.
-- Chris D.

This book is a delight, and the sub-title says it
all: "Bite-sized Learning & Projects for all
Ages". The photos are stunning, and the
projects are easy, educational and fun to do.
Each chapter is filled with a wealth of
information to help anyone gain a more
rewarding experience when outdoors. From
flowers, birds, fungi, raising butterflies and
photography tips, there is something here for
everyone.  -- M. K. McDonald


As a homeschooling family who uses the
Charlotte Mason method, we're always on the
lookout for books that will help us in our nature
studies. We've found Judy and Wayne's books
to be wonderful additions to our home library of
nature books. This book is a great "let's get out
in nature and discover what is there" type
book. It is full of interesting bits of information
on all kinds of things you would find in nature,
some even in your own yard. They cover things
like where to look for mushrooms/fungi, what to
look for under rotting logs, what you could see
near water, learning to be observant when you
are outside, the difference between reptiles
and amphibians, nature photography tips, and
how to identify poison ivy.
They even have a few nature related projects
that are purposeful. Projects include pressing
flowers/plants and making bookmarks with
them, making a special reflection tube for
taking cool photos, raising a butterfly, and
making a fruit feeder for butterflies and moths.  
-- Doug Smith