Use this resource guide as a starting out point to learn more about monarchs, butterflies, and pollinators. Watch a WPL librarian talk about some of these resources here. And ask any librarian about the many resources we have on this topic!
The Disappearance of Butterflies by Josef H. Reichholf
In the last fifty years our butterfly populations have declined by more than eighty per cent and butterflies are now facing the very real prospect of extinction. It is hard to remember the time when fields and meadows were full of these beautiful, delicate creatures — today we rarely catch a glimpse of the Wild Cherry Sphinx moths, Duke of Burgundy or the even once common Small Tortoiseshell butterflies. The High Brown Fritillary butterfly and the Stout Dart Moth have virtually disappeared. The eminent entomologist and award-winning author Josef H. Reichholf began studying butterflies in the late 1950s. He brings a lifetime of scientific experience and expertise to bear on one of the great environmental catastrophes of our time. He takes us on a journey into the wonderful world of butterflies – from the small nymphs that emerge from lakes in air bubbles to the trusting purple emperors drunk on toad poison – and immerses us in a world that we are in danger of losing forever.’ Step by step he explains the science behind this impending ecological disaster, and shows how it is linked to pesticides, over-fertilization and the intensive farming practices of the agribusiness. His book is a passionate plea for biodiversity and the protection of butterflies.
Available Formats: Book
Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration by Sara Dykman
“Outdoor educator and field researcher Sara Dykman made history when she became the first person to bicycle alongside monarch butterflies on their storied annual migration–a round-trip adventure that included three countries and more than 10,000 miles. Equally remarkable, she did it solo, on a bike cobbled together from used parts. Her panniers were recycled buckets. In Bicycling with Butterflies, Dykman recounts her incredible journey and the dramatic ups and downs of the nearly nine-month odyssey. We’re beside her as she navƯigates unmapped roads in foreign countries, checks roadside milkweed for monarch eggs, and shares her passion with eager schoolchildren, skeptical bar patrons, and unimpressed border officials. We also meet some of the ardent monarch stewards who supported her efforts, from citizen scientists and researchƯers to farmers and high-rise city dwellers. With both humor and humility, Dykman offers a compelling story, confirming the urgency of saving the threatened monarch migration–and the other threatened systems of nature that affect the survival of us all.”– Provided by publisher.
Available Formats: Book
Butterfly for a King: Saving Hawaiʻi’s Kamehameha Butterflies by Cindy Trumbore and Susan L. Roth
The Last Butterflies by Nick Haddad
“A remarkable look at the rarest butterflies, how global changes threaten their existence, and how we can bring them back from near-extinction”
Available formats: Book, Hoopla eAudiobook
Butterfly Gardening by Jane Hurwitz
“An indispensable and lavishly illustrated guide to creating a garden that attracts and sustains butterflies”
Available format: Book
Monarchs and Milkweed by Anurag Agrawal
“The fascinating and complex evolutionary relationship of the monarch butterfly and the milkweed plant”
Available formats: Book, Hoopla eBook
Protecting Pollinators by Jodi Helmer
“Protecting Pollinators explores why the statistics have become so dire and how they can be reversed. Jodi Helmer breaks down the latest science on environmental threats and takes readers inside the most promising conservation initiatives”
Available formats: Book, Hoopla eBook
Butterfly Gardening With Native Plants by Christopher Kline
“Fun how-to guide for attracting butterflies with native plants Includes more than 150 color photographs Suitable for kids and adults”
Available formats: Book, Hoopla eBook, CloudLibrary eBook, Media on Demand eBook
The Art of Butterfly Gardening by Mathew Tekulsky
“Butterfly gardening is the practice of attracting beautiful butterflies to your garden by growing common plants and flowers that they use for food and nectar. This fun and wonderfully simple activity will bring color, light, and beauty to your garden and home”
Available formats: Hoopla eBook, Media on Demand eBook
Butterfly People by William Leach
“From one of our most highly regarded historians, here is an original and engrossing chronicle of nineteenth-century America’s infatuation with butterflies, and the story of the naturalists who unveiled the mysteries of their existence”
Available format: Media on Demand eBook
Monarch Butterfly 101 by Jessica Dumas
“This book tells what people believe about the monarch, why people love it, why it is important to science, the history of the monarch, the meaning of its name, and what the purpose of the monarch’s life is”
Available format: CloudLibrary eAudiobook
Monarch Butterfly 2.0 by Jessica Dumas
“The Monarch Butterfly 2.0: 101 Reasons to Love Our Favorite Orange and Black Butterfly from A to Z is the second edition on the monarch butterflies that will expand your knowledge and admiration of the favorite and most loved butterfly in the history of man”
Available format: CloudLibrary eAudiobook
Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Bees, and Butterflies by Jaret C. Daniels
“Plan, plant, and grow your own beautiful garden, with native plants that benefit your favorite creatures to watch and enjoy”
Available format: Hoopla eBook
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