Judy Burris - The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs: Discover Amazing Butterflies, Moths, Spiders, Dragonflies, and Other Insects!

THE SECRET LIVES OF BACKYARD BUGS

DISCOVER AMAZING BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS,
SPIDERS, DRAGONFLIES, AND OTHER INSECTS!JUDY BURRIS and WAYNE RICHARDS The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment. Edited by Claire Golding, Sarah Guare, and Gwen Steege
Art direction by Mary Winkelman Velgos
Book design and text production by Tracy Sunrize Johnson Cover and interior photography by Judy Burris and Wayne & Christina Richards,
except for Blue Moon Stock/Alamy: 60 top; Cathy Keifer/Dreamstime.com:
80 bottom inset; Edith Smith: 82 top and 83 bottom; Hazel Proudlove/
iStockphoto.com: 119 top; John Yuschock/Dreamstime.com:
19 bottom, 116 second row left; Michael Quinton/Minden
Pictures: 3 top left; Robert Schantz/Alamy: 72 top;
Scott Camazine/Alamy: 102 2nd row right;
Stephen Bonk/iStockphoto.com: 121 top Prepress by Hartley Batchelder Illustrations by David Wysotski/Allure Indexed by Christine R. Lindemer; Boston Road Communications
Expert review by Chris Eaton, Mass Audobon
Review of plants by Barbara Ellis 2011 by Judy Burris and Wayne Richards All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission
from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce
illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other without written permission
from the publisher. The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge.
All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey
Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use
of this information.

Storey books are available for special premium and promotional uses and for customized
editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396. Storey Publishing
210 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com Printed in the United States by Versa Press
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Burris, Judy, 1967 The secret lives of backyard bugs / by Judy Burris and Wayne Richards.
p.cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-1-60342-563-6 (pbk: alk.paper) ISBN 978-1-60342-985-6 (hardcover: alk.paper) 1. 2. 2.

Backyard gardensPictorial works. I. Richards, Wayne, 1970-II. Title. QL496.B88 2011 595.7175'54dc22 2010051177 We dedicate this book
to gardeners, backyard explorers,
and nature lovers everywhere.

This book is an accumulation of many years of exploration and research.

In our first book, The Life Cycles of Butterflies (Storey, 2006), we showcased the miraculous metamorphosis of plump and homely caterpillars into graceful winged beauties. A welcome and unexpected result of studying butterflies was the dis-covery of the interesting lives of other creatures near us. We are a sister-and-brother author/photographer team, and Waynes wife, Christina, also a nature photographer, regularly shares her work with us. Were the kind of people who like to get our hands dirty: we flip over moss-covered rocks to find squirmy things to photograph; we climb trees to retrieve interesting caterpillars to raise at home; we lie in the damp grass, risking the blood-thirsty attacks of chiggers, to get a bugs-eye view of a particularly lovely spring flower. In essence, were kids who never grew up. We hope this book will inspire nature lovers of all ages and levels of expertise.

About 90 percent of the photos were taken in a backyard garden in northern Kentucky only one-eighth of an acre in size. Digital cameras with macro lenses enable us to bring the smallest, most magical details to life. So, after youve read about our assorted adventures as gardeners, photographers, and crazy critter caretakers, its your turn. With the exception of the lightning bug, all of the bugs in this book can be found throughout the United States and parts of Canada and Mexico. Explore your backyard, gardens, and local parks and see what you can find. Judy Burris, Wayne Richards & Christina Richards Throughout this book, we have recommended a wide variety of plants that attract, feed, and shelter the featured bugs. Judy Burris, Wayne Richards & Christina Richards Throughout this book, we have recommended a wide variety of plants that attract, feed, and shelter the featured bugs.

Most are native species. Nonnative species that may be invasive are marked with an asterisk (*). Invasives vary from region to region. Please consult your local extension service, botanical garden, nursery, or conservation organization for a list of plants that may be invasive in your area. Also ask for a list of native plants that are suitable for your area.

Every living thing progresses through a series of developmental stages, or life cycles, as it grows and matures.

Plants begin as seeds, mushrooms as spores, insects and animals as eggs. Its easy to overlook these tiny first stages of life unless you know what time of year to look, where and how to search, and what to look for. Once you start paying attention to the many lives being lived all around you, you probably wont want to stop! Every year we feel a sense of wonder as healthy vegetables grow from the tiny seeds we sprinkle. Were fascinated by the fragile seedlings we nurture as they become tall sunflowers, providing food for songbirds, squirrels, and chipmunks. Again and again were filled with awe and astonishment when we witness a metamorphosis from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis and then watch a butterfly emerge and take flight.

You may not have thought of it this way before, but every garden whether its a tiny city park, a roof garden, a big backyard, or a thousand-acre farm goes through life-cycle stages. Next page