"Unobtrusive as they go about their business, catepillars are rarely seen by humans - and are virtually never seen from the perspective presented in this volume: photographed in extreme close-ups at a resolution that captures in sharp detail the colors and features eluding the casual observer." "Gathered by biologists Daniel Janzen, Winifred Hallwachs, and Jeffrey Miller in the tropical dry forests, cloud forests, and rain forests of northwestern Costa Rica, over 100 large-format photographs of caterpillars document the variety of shapes, vivid colors, and cryptic markings among these species. The pictures are accompanied by capsule species accounts - revealing life histories as diverse as their forms - and images of the adult butterfly or moth. Throughout, the authors convey an intimate sense of these creatures - studied over twenty-five years - by focusing on how their features figure in their behavior and ecology, and on the beauty of nature in this life stage, as well as the nature of that beauty."--Jacket.