Butterflies and Moths of Aotearoa by Liv Sisson

Butterflies and Moths of Aotearoa is another gorgeous field guide from Liv Sisson, author of Fungi of Aotearoa: A Curious Forager's Field Guide. Like her first book, it makes you want to immediately head outside and see what you can find.

The idea began after a trip to the Amazon rekindled Liv’s childhood fascination with insects. Back home in New Zealand, she began wondering about our own butterflies and moths. Were they really as scarce and drab as people sometimes thought? Definitely not.

Aotearoa is home to a variety of butterflies and moths. There are more than 2,000 species, from familiar monarchs to tiny creatures with remarkable colours and markings.

At more than 300 pages, this is a substantial guide, but it never feels heavy. Liv explains the basics, including life cycles, senses and behaviour, in an approachable way. There’s also practical advice on how to find butterflies and moths, followed by detailed field guides to help identify what you discover.

The photography is a highlight. Close-up images reveal colours and details that are easy to miss when a butterfly flutters past or a moth lands near an outside light.

I knew very little about butterflies and moths before reading this book. That didn’t matter. Liv makes the science easy to understand and her enthusiasm is infectious.

That’s what I also enjoyed about Fungi of Aotearoa. Liv gets you looking more closely at the natural world around you. Butterflies and Moths of Aotearoa is lovely to browse and packed with information. Most of all, it proves our butterflies and moths are anything but drab. Follow Liv online.

Reviewer: Andrea Molloy

Penguin