One of my favorite hobbies is learning about and enjoying the butterflies that visit my wildlife garden. I call myself a butterfly enthusiast but the more accurate term would amateur lepidopterist. A lepidopterist is someone who studies or collects butterflies, skippers and/or moths – all of which make up the order Lepidoptera.
As an amateur lepidopterist or butterfly enthusiast, I have found the world wide web to be invaluable in identifying and learning about the butterflies that visit my garden. As a freelance writer, these winged creatures are a favorite subject and require sound research to back up the scientific information I write about. Knowing the best websites that provide information makes research time shorter and I have my favorites that I return to over and over again for butterfly information.
Butterflies and Moths of North America – This is an awesome website that provides excellent information about butterfly and moth species. It includes photos and geographic locations, habitat specifics, information on larval host plants and preferred nectar sources for each species. This is a great, comprehensive site for research about butterflies and moths and I use it frequently for personal use and education and for research with my writing.
The Lepidopterists’ Society – The Lepidopterists’ Society is a good clearinghouse resource for butterfly and moth information. For a fee, you can join the Society but even if you don’t join, there is fascinating information and links to other valuable websites.
Monarch Watch – is dedicated to the conservation of the Monarch butterfly. This site has excellent information about butterflies in general, but the focus is on this particular species. The site includes detailed information about the varieties of milkweed – which is the larval host plant for the Monarch. This is a fun website and it has links to other great butterfly sites. This is a great site for students, teachers and homeschoolers looking to incorporate learning about butterflies into classroom education.
North American Butterfly Association – The NABA site has a variety of information about butterfly gardening, certifying a butterfly garden, butterfly species, photos and publications of interests to butterfly lovers. The focus of NABA is butterflies only rather than butterflies and moths.
Gardens With Wings – This site focuses on gardening to attract butterflies. There are sections on butterfly and caterpillar identification, although they are not as in depth and comprehensive as other sites (Butterflies and Moths of North America has the best site for identification in my opinion).
The Children’s Butterfly Site – If you have a budding lepidopterist (yes, I do at my house), then this site is just perfect. It is geared toward kids who want to learn about butterflies and features coloring pages and other fun butterfly activities.
There are a number of other great butterfly sites and these are just my favorites. For offline resources, check your local library for books about butterflies. A great guide (like National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies) is a worthwhile resource and companion for offline learning.
See also:
Rearing Monarch Caterpillars
How to Create a Monarch Waystation
Butterflies in My Yard
How to Attract Butterflies to Your Yard
Attracting Butterflies with Perennials, Annuals, Herbs and Wildflowers
Butterflies vs. Moths: What’s the Difference?
