A Children’s Guide to Arctic Butterflies

The introductory sentences in this book offer a surprise premise that will attract curious young readers: “When we think of Arctic animals, we tend to imagine polar bears with their thick, woolly coats, or walruses and seals….not delicate summer creatures like butterflies, Yet butterflies are found in almost every corner of the world...”. This companion volume to A Children’s Guide to Arctic Birds focuses on the smallest and most fragile creature one rarely thinks would inhabit such a cold climate. In fact, only several dozen of the world’s 20,000 species do so! Through the opening pages of general information, butterflies and moths are compared, butterfly parts are described and their life cycle explained. Details specific to Arctic butterflies follow: how they stay warm and what they do in winter. The latter topic, dealing with hibernation, is the most fascinating.

With that background knowledge, especially the fact that Arctic butterflies do not migrate like the well-known Monarch butterfly, the reader is presented with facts specific to a dozen species, laid out in scientific field guide style. These pages cover description, habitat, how they fly, their winter hibernation habits. Each page ends with a “Fluttering Fact”, an additional detail such as the different diet of caterpillars compared to butterflies, and the origins of some species’ names. Each species is illustrated in soft tones set against typical background on a facing page. The book ends with “Tips for Identifying….”, with species grouped by common characteristics.

The introductory basic details presented in clear, accessible language will answer simple and obvious questions for most readers. One significant omission, though, is any reference to the role of butterflies in the Arctic ecosystem as pollinators, a food source for birds or a predator (in the caterpillar stage) of other insects. Only briefly mentioned is that butterflies are “vulnerable to predators” and that “some kinds of butterflies even feed on carrion….” With the spotlight on the challenges to their survival as a key feature in the book, youngsters who do not already understand their vital functions in nature may wonder why they are so important in a harsh Arctic environment.

Easy to read and attractively designed, the main content of A Children’s Guide to Arctic Butterflies will serve as a useful and interesting reference book. Its topic is one children may rarely think about, but it is one which is essential to their overall knowledge of our northern environments.