Butterflies are probably the best-known group of insects because of their bright colours and the fact that most of them fly during the day. While the majority are tropical there are still reasonable numbers in the cooler climates of southern Australia.
Australia does not have many species compared to other countries that fall within the tropical region – only about 400 species. As a comparison, New Guinea has 1,600 and South America about 7,500.
This book should be read in conjunction with All About Butterflies of Australia (Reed New Holland, 2016) to get an overall view of just what butterflies are about. To save space most of the information in that book has not been repeated here. This publication has concentrated on illustrating as far as possible the adult butterflies, their early stages and the related host plants that the larvae feed on.
What makes this book different from other field guides is that all the illustrations of the butterflies are actual photos of live specimens. In most cases, this is how you will see them in the wild. It is just not possible to have every species as it would take a lifetime to gather live images of all the butterfly species as quite a few are very rare and extremely difficult to find.
Buy signed copies now.
$54 +
$10 postage
$54 + postage
Australia only - overseas - please request postage costs to your country.
Special Offer
Buy the Field Guide and All About Butterflies of Australia together for $95.00 post free.
This book has a hard outer plastic cover that makes it ideal for using in the field and making it extremely difficult to damage.
Express post - + $12
$69.00
$64
Revised edition, October 2021, with updated name changes.
Unfortunately there has been a price rise due to high freight costs around the world.
A Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia
Second edition – November 2021
$60 – post free in Australia
All copies signed by author.
Butterflies are probably the best-known group of insects because of their bright colours and the fact that most of them fly during the day. While the majority are tropical there are still reasonable numbers in the cooler climates of southern Australia.
Australia does not have many species compared to other countries that fall within the tropical region – only about 400 species. As a comparison, New Guinea has 1,600 and South America about 7,500.
This book should be read in conjunction with All About Butterflies of Australia (Reed New Holland, 2016) to get an overall view of just what butterflies are about. To save space most of the information in that book has not been repeated here. This publication has concentrated on illustrating as far as possible the adult butterflies, their early stages and the related host plants that the larvae feed on.
What makes this book different from other field guides is that all the illustrations of the butterflies are actual photos of live specimens. In most cases, this is how you will see them in the wild. It is just not possible to have every species as it would take a lifetime to gather live images of all the butterfly species as quite a few are very rare and extremely difficult to find.
This comprehensive ID guide to Australia’s 400 species of butterflies covers everything from the eye-catching Common Jezabel and Ulysses Butterfly, to the gigantic Cairns Birdwing, to the more cryptic Blues and Skippers.
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The key features that separate this book from all other butterfly field guides are:
֍ All images show love butterflies rather than pinned specimens. Large number of images documenting different life stages - egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and adult.
֍ Shows upper-wing and underwing of adult for each species, plus images of male and female butterflies where they differ significantly in appearance.
֍ Includes pictures of host plants, which are often an important factor in locating the butterflies.
֍ Each butterfly species has its own account, including concise description, images and distribution map. The sturdy cover and compact layout make the book ideal for use in the field.
֍ Garry Sankowsky has been studying and photographing Australian wildlife for many decades. He is particularly passionate about butterflies and together with his wife started the first butterfly farm in Australia at Mt Tamborine, Queensland, in the early 1970s. Today he lives in Tolga, Queensland.
֍ Geoff Walker has travelled the length and breadth of Australia in search of its butterflies, finding and photographing hundreds of species in their native habitat. As part of the process he has built up an impressive and comprehensive website. He lives in Murrumbeena, Victoria.
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Some comments received so far:-
“Congratulations on a fantastic book. I have only had a quick look through so far but I really like the emphasis on host plants, something not available in other butterfly books and it's what butterflies are all about really. I also noticed important snippets of original information on behaviour and plant interactions and the like. I think you have the balance just right with how much you say about the butterflies themselves - all one needs to know about each species really. I'm pretty impressed with some of the photos of rare species too. True dedication needed there to get all those. It should be a great seller.”
“The book arrived yesterday! Great production. I love the foodplant images.”
“Your new book arrived on Friday and I have hardly put it down since.
It's a bloody tremendous effort ... my congratulations on a superbly detailed and informative book.
It'll establish itself surely as the "bible" on Australian butterflies.
The photography throughout is excellent and I can appreciate the time spent chasing all those plants, butterflies and larva by both of you to photograph.
Even though most of the butterflies don't occur here I'm reading up on them and enjoying the photography.”
“I think your new book is brilliant. VAAAAAST amount of knowledge, totally useful pix, heaps for an ignoramus like me to browse through.”
“Bloody hell! You should be 110% happy with it. Really a top job and I reckon it will be the standard for butterflies for the next 50 years. All the information on host plants must put it so far ahead of any other guides.”
“The book arrived in this afternoon’s mail...it is absolutely fabulous. I hope you are sitting back, having a cup of tea, and feeling pleased with yourself...you have earnt it. A whole life in that book. Not sure who it will go to for review for Australian Entomologist yet...but attached is the quick book notice I did for the ESQ News Bulletin...see p. 71...this is just proof copy of the News Bulletin, so don’t send it on to anyone...final version will be sent out in a few days.”
The above and following relate to the first edition. In the new edition butterfly names have been updated for new species and revisions and two more rare species have been added.
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Volume 48, Issue 3, May 2020 Entomological Society of Queensland News Bulletin 71
New Books
A Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia: Their Life Histories and Larval Host Plants by Garry Sankowsky. 400 pages, paper back. Reed New Holland Publishers, Sydney. ISBN: 9781921517884. Price $45.00. (New edition $60 due to huge increase in freight charges from the printers in China.)
This stunning book, authored by Garry Sankowsky, an ESQ member who lives surrounded by his wonderful garden of butterfly foodplants at Tolga on the Atherton Tableland, was released on April 15. It crams about 3000 colour photographs into its 400 pages and covers adults, immatures and food plants of most of Australia’s butterflies, usually
with at least one page devoted to each species. The pages have a fresh uncluttered feeling because the individual photos usually do not have captions since all photographs on one page will be one species of butterfly. Departing from most field guides, which figure pinned specimens, this book depicts every species in living field shots. Most adult photographs are by Victorian enthusiast Geoff Walker, also an ESQ member, who has toured Australia tracking down live shots over a number of years. Photographs of eggs, larvae, pupae and food plants are mostly
by Garry. Many other photographers have filled in with coverage of species not available from Garry and Geoff’s coverage. The book is unique in its comprehensive coverage of the food plants, usually shown with flowers and fruits to make recognition in the field easy. Garry is not only a gifted field botanist but also a skilled horticulturist and he draws on this experience to provide advice on where the food plants grow and how they can be cultivated in the home garden. The book is bursting with life and movement.
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Australia only - overseas - please request postage costs to your country.
Postage costs to most countries $25 to $35 (very high from Australia)
