Friday, March 22, 2013

National Reading Month: Jill's Picks

March is National Reading Month, and we here at MOSI Outside love to read. Kristen shared her top picks with you in an earlier post, and now it's my turn to share some of my favorite books about butterflies, birds, gardening, and nature. Many of these are also available as e-books, but some of the guide books definitely require color to be appreciated, so unless your e-reader is color-enabled, you may want to stick with the paper versions.

Fiction:
  • Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain - A fictionalized (and probably sensationalized) account of the life of Eleanor Glanville, who lived in the late 17th century and was so obsessed with collecting butterflies and caterpillars that her relatives used it as a reason to have her declared a lunatic, in an attempt to circumvent her will after she died. They claimed, "None but those who were deprived of their senses would go in pursuit of butterflies." We here at MOSI Outside have this statement hanging on the wall as a kind of personal motto.
  • A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter - Stratton-Porter grew up in a wooded area of northern Indiana known as the "Limberlost", an area that even during her childhood in the late 1800s was being logged into extinction, and set many of her books in this region. The main character of this book is a young impoverished woman who collects moths and butterflies of the Limberlost and sells them to collectors to pay her way through school. Stratton-Porter's descriptions of the flora and fauna of the Limberlost are pretty much all that remain of this once-great forest, and Elnora's journey to adulthood is rewarding and fascinating. (Bonus: This book is in the public domain and available for free for your e-reader!)

Non-Fiction:
  • One Hundred Butterflies by Harold Feinstein - OK, so this one isn't so much about reading as it is gorgeous eye candy. Feinstein's coffee table book contains one hundred photographs of some of the most beautiful butterflies in the world. There's no information about any of the butterflies, but you can get that on the internet, right? Just flip the pages and be amazed by the delicate detail of nature. 

Guidebooks:
  • Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants by Marc C. Minno, Jerry F. Butler, and Donald W. Hall - When I first got serious about butterfly gardening a few years ago, I stumbled across this book and immediately had to have it. This book basically pictures every butterfly caterpillar (but no moths) that you might find in Florida, provides info about their life cycle, and lists all possible host plants. It also has a section devoted to the host plants themselves, with pictures and a list of the caterpillars that use them. It's a level of detail perhaps only appreciated by a certain level of butterfly geek - but I'm one of them, I must admit.
  • The Sibley Guide to Birds by David Allen Sibley - Every birder has their own favorite field guide, and this one is mine. Sibley's illustrations are detailed and include birds in multiple life stages and profiles (including in flight, which is very useful). He offers comparison pages to help you sort through all those sparrows or sandpipers that all seem to look the same, and doesn't forget to point out different characteristics of birds by region. If you enjoy the guide but are tired of lugging it around, get the e-book version for your color e-reader or tablet; it includes the ability to create lists and perform smart searches. This guide is always with me (now in electronic form) when I go birding in the field.

Children and Young Adults:
  • Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope and Sue Riddle - A major pet peeve of ours around here is children's books that provide incorrect information (We're looking at you, The Very Hungry Caterpillar!) This delightful little book for very young children and new readers tells the story of a monarch caterpillar who becomes a butterfly, feeling all the while that there's somewhere else she has to be. With the fun refrain, "Gotta go! Gotta go! Gotta go to Mexico!", this book's accurate yet simple illustrations help kids understand one of nature's most amazing phenomena, the migration of monarch butterflies to Mexico.
  • The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly - There's a lot of talk these days about how to get girls and young women interested in science. Why not try giving them this book? In 1899, 11-year-old Calpurnia Tate hasn't given much thought to science, until with the encouragement of her grandfather, she begins to explore botany, biology, and the world around her, defying the social conventions of the time to plan a career in these fields when she grows up. This Newberry Honor book is written with kids in mind, but adults will enjoy it as well.

On My To-Read Shelf:
  • Native Plant Landscaping for Wildlife by Craig Huegel - This local author (he lives in Largo) is an expert on Florida's wildflowers and maintains a blog I read regularly. This book combines two of my favorite things, wildlife and native plants, and I look forward to getting some new tips and ideas.
  • The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart - The latest offering from Stewart is subtitled, "The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks". Can't wait to pour myself a glass of wine and start reading.
  • Butterfly People: An American Encounter with the Beauty of the World by William R. Leach - The only reason I haven't read this one yet is because it won't be released until April 9, 2013. It promises "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".
We're always looking for book recommendations, so if you know of one we shouldn't miss, be sure to tell us in the comments below!

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