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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 595.789 EAN: 9780618127436 Edition: 1 ISBN: 0618127437 Label: Mariner Books Manufacturer: Mariner Books Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 320 Publication Date: May 31, 2001 Publisher: Mariner Books Studio: Mariner Books Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: A long-standing bit of American nature folklore holds that monarch butterflies west of the Rocky Mountains migrate to wintering grounds in California, whereas those east of the Rockies migrate to wintering grounds in Mexico--and that the two classes of monarchs never meet and mix. Robert Pyle, a lepidopterist and nature writer, decided as a matter of curiosity to test the verity of this observation. His loosely conceived experiment took him over much of western North America, from a monarch breeding ground deep in the forests of British Columbia to the pine-clad mountainsides of central Mexico. His long journey forms the narrative frame for the aptly titled Chasing Monarchs, a book that mixes literate, and often funny, travelogue with the natural history of Danaus plexippus and its relatives. Pyle takes his readers along countless dirt roads, forest paths, cliffs, and milkweed-lined meadows to follow his quest, which he describes with plain elegance: "I'll find a monarch. I will watch it. If it flies, I'll follow it as far as I can. When I lose it, I'll take its vanishing bearing--the direction in which it disappears. Then I will quarter the countryside, by foot and by road, until I find the next suitable habitat along that bearing, and do it again." The landscape changes constantly in Pyle's quest, keeping things interesting, and Pyle imparts his evident, abundant affection for butterflies to his readers, a contagiously joyful interest that they come to share as his story progresses. --Gregory McNamee Product Description: The monarch butterfly is our best-known and best-loved insect, and its annual migration over thousands of miles is an extraordinary natural phenomenon. Robert Michael Pyle, "one of America's finest natural history writers" (Sue Hubbell), set out late one summer to follow the monarchs south from their northernmost breeding ground in British Columbia. CHASING MONARCHS tells the engrossing story of his adventurous journey with these graceful wanderers -- down the Columbia, Snake, Bear, and Colorado rivers, across the Bonneville Salt Flats, and through the Chiricahua Mountains to Mexico, returning north along the California coast. Part travelogue, part scientific study, CHASING MONARCHS is one of the most fascinating books ever written about butterflies. "[Pyle's] delightful anecdotes, thought-provoking philosophical questions and personal passion make this chronicle a potential classic" (Monarch News). Average Rating:
 Rating:  - an ok bookThis is an ok book - it was a bit hard to get into/get through and a bit repetitive. I wish it had more science (written in lay terms) woven in. It was more about driving, spotting a butterfly, driving again to the next spot. (Its more about the journey than about butterflies, they're just the excuse for the drive it seems) Did't really capture me like I hoped it would and I didn't learn much. I was looking for a story more based on the butterfly's experiece and what it goes through than that ... Read More Rating:  - Chasing Monarchs. Warning this book may change your life!Bob Pyle has given us an insightful look into the butterfly lover's life and inspirations. This a nice way to review your own feelings about conservation, the natural world, and how you spend your time. Traveling will never be the same again for me. Now I can boldly ask any convenience store clerk, "Have you seen any Monarchs lately?" This book is a travel log, a natural history lesson, and an expansive look at the world around us. Rating: - Pyle's books are fantasticThis is a great book detailing a threatened bio-phenomenon. As always, you can't go wrong with one of Bob Pyle's books! Rating: - Chasing Monarchs ReviewThis book is excellent; if you loved Anne Dillard's you will love this one. Nuff said. Rating: - One of the Big Two for 1999I'm amazed no one else wrote about this book. Lepidopterists know it, and Pyle, well. My friends at the New York Butterfly Club put me on to this book and Kurt Johnson's Nabokov's Blues. They are both great books. Pyle's book takes you on a journey from the Pacific Northwest all the way to Mexico, following the annual fall migration of these magnificent orange butterflies. You not only learn about butterflies but a historical travelog of much of the old west, tidbits of local history, fantastic ... Read More 
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