One more question: What is a good field guide for caterpillars, too? Thanksâ¦.Beth

National Audubon Society has a field guide for insects/spiders, birds, and butterflies/moths. Your description of a black and red butterfly could actually be a moth, but I am unfamiliar c the butterflies and moths of Mississippi.

PS:
As I recall, the Field Guide for Butterflies and Moths includes pix of the cats as well.
Just a shot in the dark, but look up Net Winged Beetles and see if this matches what you saw.

Thanks, John!

Maybe it was a Red Admiral that you saw?

David Wagner has a great book for caterpillars.

I have an Audubon field guide on North American butterflies which is fine for identification.

I use a combination of about five books for butterfly identification. Two good ones are the Kaufman Focus Guide-- Butterflies of North America and Butterflies through Binoculars by Jeffrey Glassberg (the later is split into one book for the east, and one book for the west).

Another caterpillar book is Caterpillars in the Field and Garden by Thomas J. Allen, Jim P. Brock and Jeffery Glassberg. I find some of the less-distinctive caterpillars to be tricky to id. The internet helps too for the detective work.

I believe David Wagner's caterpillar book only covers the east. I would be interested in learning if there is a western caterpillar book available.

Gyr Falcon--I just learned from a Doug Tallamy interview that he is working on one for the west! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Ecobeneficial Interview Doug Tallamy