Butterfly Gardening presents everything the gardener needs to know to create intricate, small-scale ecosystems in an urban or suburban setting that can substitute for the rapidly vanishing habitats that are essential to the survival of butterflies. Contributors to this volume include Miriam Rothschild, an eminent entomologist, avid butterfly gardener and expert in wildflower conservation, who describes the life cycle of the butterfly, how and what they see, and how this relates to "gardening with butterflies." Landscape architect Mary Booth provides imaginative garden designs and easy-to-follow direction for designing and planting. Edward S. Ross, pioneer of close-up nature photography, discusses observing and photographing butterflies.

The book also includes a "Master Plant List" of species that attract butterflies, butterfly food plants listed geographically, seed and plant sources, a list of gardening and conservation organizations, and a bibliography of books and periodicals about butterflies.