Here you will find about:

1. Monarchs we tag & release
2. Our Butterflies of Maine Mural
3. Recommended books and videos
4. Recommended butterfly websites

Monarch Butterflies
~ It's a girl! ~
Our first monarch emerged from its chrysalis at Curtis Memorial Library at 10:30 a.m., 8/30/2007. "Liz" was wing tagged at 1:00 p.m. with a Monarch Watch wing tag numbered JAY 755 then released in our butterfly garden. She rested on a cone flower and exercised her wings before taking flight to begin her journey south toward Mexico.

Liz a few minutes after tagging and release

View Monarch Watch tag recovery information for Maine at
http://www.monarchwatch.org/scgi-bin/search2.pl

Put "Maine" in the state block under tagger information, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on submit. The recoveries for monarchs tagged in Maine will appear.

Read more about the
Monarch Life Cycle

Learn about Monarch Migration

Monarchs are also being raised at the Lewiston Public Library.They are expecting adults to emerge soon!

Recommended Books & Videos
For Children & Youth:
Butterfly Count by Sneed B. Collard III
Cornerstones of Science Nominee book
A story of the Fourth of July Butterfly Count as well as a success story of prairie conservation as seen through the eyes of a young girl taking part in the butterfly count with her mother. All butterflies mentioned in the story are pictured in the back of the book with a brief description. Includes information about watching and attracting butterflies and getting involved in the Fourth of July Butterfly Count.

Butterflies and Moths by John Feltwell (an Eyewitness Explorers book)
This small book provides a wealth of information. Topics include how to tell a butterfly from a moth, anatomy, life cycle, migration, habitats, and camouflage. Includes directions to make a small butterfly kite. For ages 9 (advanced readers) and up. A good resource for adults.

From Egg to Butterfly
by Shannon Zemlicka (A Lerner From Start to Finish book)
Cornerstones of Science Nominee book
Stunning close-up photographs and simple text describe the life cycle of the monarch butterfly. For young children and beginning readers; the photographs make this a recommendation for adults as well.

Hurry and the Monarch by Antoine Ó Flatharta
A picture book story of monarch migration delightfully told and illustrated through the friendship of a Canadian monarch and Texas tortoise. Includes an afterword of monarch migration facts.

Isabel’s House of Butterflies by Tony Johnston
A picture book story about monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico as told through the eyes of Isabel, an eight-year-old girl from Michoacán, who’s family must decide if their own survival will impact that of the butterflies.

Monarchs by Kathryn Lasky
Cornerstones of Science Nominee book
Beginning in Maine, the story follows the life cycle and life history of the monarch butterfly including migration to Mexico. Conservation challenges and efforts are also discussed.
For ages 9 (advanced readers) and up. A good resource for adults.

Monarch Butterflies, Mysterious Travelers by Bianca Lavies
Follows the life work of Dr. Fred Urquhart and his wife Norah studying the migration of monarch butterflies. Text and photographs document the monarch life cycle and migration, and the scientific tagging of the butterflies. For ages 9 (advanced readers) and up. A good resource for adults.

A Place for Butterflies by Melissa Stewart
Discusses how people’s choices and actions can have a direct impact on butterflies. A dozen butterflies and their habitats are introduced. End pages provide range maps of the butterflies.

Starting Life Butterfly by Claire Llewellyn
Describes the physical characteristics and behavior of butterflies, including how to identify adult males and females, their life cycle, and food plants and predators. A glossary with pronunciation guide and an index are provided. Colorful illustrations and simple text make this book appropriate as a read aloud to young children or a good read for beginning readers (though they may need assistance) and more advanced readers alike.

Wings of Light: The Migration of the Yellow Butterfly
by Stephen R. Swinburne
The story of the migration of the cloudless sulphur from the Yucatan rain forest to New England. Author’s Note includes further information about the migration of cloudless sulphurs.

Books For Adults & Teens:
Chasing Monarchs: Migrating with the Butterflies of Passage
by Robert Michael Pyle

Four Wings and a Prayer: Caught in the Mystery of the Monarch Butterfly
by Sue Halpern

An Obsession with Butterflies: Our Long Love Affair with a Singular Insect
by Sharman Apt Russell

Field Guides
Butterflies of the East Coast: An Observer's Guide
by Rick Cech & Guy Tudor
This is an expanded guide – not for the field because it is too large, but a great resource for before or after field work

Butterflies of New England by Larry Weber
A pocket-size field guide with a wealth of information.

Caterpillars in the Field and Garden
by Thomas J Allen, Jim P. Brock & Jeffrey Glassberg
The only field guide I know of that concentrates on caterpillars; excellent photos. Includes some photos of adult butterflies but should be used in conjunction with another guide to learn both larval and adult forms. Lists caterpillar host plants.

Video
The Beauty of Butterflies [videorecording] / Marty Stouffer Productions; producer/director, Marty Stouffer. Publisher [United States]: King World Direct, c1995.

Butterfly & Moth [videorecording] / Dorling Kindersley Ltd and BBC Worldwide Americas, series producer, Bridget Sneyd ; producer, Richard Thomson ; writer, Brian Meehl ; director, Derek Hall. Publisher [New York, N.Y.] : DK Publishing, [2006], c1996.

Recommended Butterfly Websites

Butterflies & Moths of North America
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy
Butterfly and moth occurrence maps, species accounts, checklists, and photographs are available on this site.

The Butterfly Website
http://butterflywebsite.com/
Photo gallery, checklist – a world atlas of butterflies and moths, gardening advice and butterfly plant lists that include the caterpillar host plant and adult nectar source preferences.

Journey North: Monarchs
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/index.html
Here you will be able to track the migration of the monarchs through maps and weekly updates. And, you can get involved in the migration study by reporting your monarch sightings. You’ll also find lesson plans, activity sheets, photos, & FAQs.

Maine Butterfly Survey
http://mbs.umf.maine.edu
Maine is home to over 115 species of butterflies. This site provides species lists, photographs, and distribution maps as well as occurrence, abundance and flight period information. A short list of recommended butterfly guides and related reading is available, as is a PDF file of the Maine Butterfly Survey (MBS) Baseline Report. You can get involved by attending a MBS volunteer training session.

Monarch Watch
http://www.monarchwatch.org/
This site by the University of Kansas Entomology Program provides a wealth of information about monarch butterflies and opportunities to get involved with monarch research. Included are tips for creating a butterfly garden and a monarch waystation, about raising monarchs, and how to join in on the monarch migration / tagging research. You’ll also find a gallery of monarch photos, drawings and essays.

North American Butterfly Association
www.naba.org
Sponsors the annual Fourth of July Butterfly Count in which thousands of volunteers across Canada, the United States and Mexico gather to identify and count butterflies. Scientists tabulate the results in order to learn more about the butterflies and their distribution, and how to protect them.

The Butterfly Mural
~ View the 70-foot butterfly mural at Curtis Memorial Library
created by Olga Pastuchiv & Jane Page Conway
Dedicated August 18, 2007

A gift to Curtis Memorial Library
and all who visit the Children’s Garden

Funded by Cornerstones of Science

View the mural on YouTube
www.youtube.com/user/olga4art