Maywood Publishing has published the first book exclusively about the butterflies found in Tennessee.
Butterflies of Tennessee is an easy-to-use field and garden handbook with full-color photos of eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, and adult butterflies. Included for each species are color keys for both adult butterflies and butterfly caterpillars as well as tips on butterfly watching and butterfly gardening, habitat descriptions, range maps, flight periods, and “Fun Facts.”
Author Rita Venable is the former editor of Butterfly Gardener. She has published numerous articles and photographs in literary publications, newspapers, and magazines including American Butterflies and American Gardener. She has won Excellence In Craft awards in writing and photography from the Tennessee Outdoor Writers Association and Southeastern Outdoor Press Association in multiple years and was an artist-in-residence in creative writing with the Tennessee Arts Commission. Ms. Venable also served as an assistant biologist with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation conducting biological surveys in state parks and natural areas with the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory program.
“This book was written for people of all ages from kids to seniors,” says Ms. Venable. “A lot of well-known naturalists across our state had input into this book to make it both accurate and user-friendly.”
Graphic design was by Nikki Butler and editing was by Susan Carter. Technical editing was by Allan Trently of Jackson, Bart Jones of Memphis, Nancy Garden of Franklin, and Bill Haley of Chattanooga. Special editing was by Rick Cech, author of Butterflies of the East Coast (2005 Princeton University Press).