The creation of the book The Butterflies of North America by William H. Edwards is traced in detail. Much new information is presented, derived mostly from Edwards' extensive correspondence. It was issued from 1868 to 1897 in three series (volumes) of 42 separate parts. The first volume was published by the American Entomological Society, while the second and third volumes were published by Houghton, Mifflin & Company under several different names. The 152 hand-colored lithographic plates were drawn by five artists: Shelly W. Denton, Edward A. Ketterer, Mary Peart, Daniel Wiest, and an unidentified artist under the supervision of John Cassin. Most of the resulting prints were colored by sisters Lavinia (Lydia) Bowen and Patience D. Leslie, though many additional colorists were involved. Four plates were replaced after publication; the originals and their replacements are figured together for the first time. The first volume included a synopsis of species, which Edwards intended to revise in the second volume, but abandoned in favor of a simple list of taxa. Severe monetary constraints forced Edwards to sell his butterfly collection to help finance the third volume. Complete copies of the first and second volumes were assembled and sold for many years. Revised citations are proposed for each volume and their associated publications. New biographical information about Mary Peart is provided, including her portrait.

Two species of Gelechioidea (Lepidoptera), Metharmostis multilineata Adamski, n. sp. (Cosmopterigidae), and Idiophantis soreuta Meyrick, 1906 (Gelechiidae), were collected in southeastern Asia for evaluation as potential biocontrol agents against downy rose myrtle, Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Aiton) Hassk. (Myrtaceae), which has become an invasive weed in Florida, USA. Metharmostis Meyrick is reviewed and transferred from Yponomeutidae to Cosmopterigidae (Antequerinae). All life stages of M. multilineata are described and illustrated, with notes on its biology. In addition, protocols for rearing and host testing of M. multilineata are described in detail. Idiophantis appears to be associated with Myrtaceae, and the adult stage of I. soreuta is redescribed. Neither species was suitable for release in Florida.

Cloudless sulphur larvae (Phoebis sennae, Pieridae) were observed in an experimental plantation and also in a natural setting being fed on by the ectoparasitic biting midge, Forcipomyia (Microhelea) eriophora (Williston) (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Larvae parasitized by midges died at higher rates in captivity, in contrast to normal levels of mortality in rearings of this species, providing circumstantial evidence for the potential role of these flies in disease transmission.

Clitoria fairchildiana Howard (Fabaceae) is a rustic and rapidly growing species with a broad leafy crown. This species naturally occurs in secondary forest of the Amazon region. In Brazil, this plant is also used in landscaping of streets, squares, roads and parking lots. This study identified a lepidopteran defoliator of C. fairchildiana at the Federal University of Viçosa in Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. This species was identified as Hyperchiria incisa incisa Walker, 1855 (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae: Hemileucinae). Larvae of this insect are yellowish-brown at early instars and pale green in the last ones with its body almost completely covered with stinging spines at all stages. Hyperchiria incisa incisa should be included in pest monitoring programs of C. fairchildiana.

A decline in butterfly diversity and abundance has been observed all over Europe, even for rather widespread species. The reasons for this trend are not clear, with one of the possible mechanisms being a decrease in available nectar sources. In the scope of these observations, the nectar sources used by a Mediterranean butterfly community have been analyzed. Clear differences between specialist and generalist species could be observed. However the specialization rate was not stable throughout the year, both considering the butterfly community as a whole and for individual species. When analyzing the temporal variability in nectar use between the seasons, an increasing specialization in nectar use was observed in autumn. While a seasonal trend could be attributed to a change in butterfly species composition, the trend towards more specialization from summer to autumn was related to a change in relative abundance of flowering plants relative to the richness of butterfly species and abundance present. Significantly fewer flowering plants were present in degraded Mediterranean systems during autumn.