A fascinating look at the insect world found in one field in France - and how important that world is to all of us - from the author of the Sunday Times bestseller A Sting in the Tale In 2003 Dave Goulson bought a derelict farm in the heart of rural France, together with 33 acres of surrounding meadow. Over the course of a decade, he created a place for his beloved bumblebees to thrive along with myriad insects of every kind. In this book you will learn how a deathwatch beetle finds its mate, about the importance of houseflies, why butterflies have spots on their wings, about dragonfly sex, bed-bugs and wasps. But it is also a wake-up call, urging us to cherish and protect life on earth in all its forms. A Buzz in the Meadow is a captivating look at our natural world and a call to arms for nature-lovers everywhere. 'Glorious' The Times 'Captivating' Independent

This classic guide to the butterflies of Britain and northern Europe enters its third edition as part of the authoritative Collins Guide series.

This comprehensive guide to the butterflies of Britain and Europe features over 400 species, depicting both male and female insects. Species descriptions include details on taxonomic nomenclature, distribution, flight period, variation, habitat, behaviour and life cycle. Subspecies are included where there is significant variation, and distribution maps accompany each widespread species.

Illustrated by Richard Lewington, the world's leading butterfly illustrator, this is an ideal field guide for travelling naturalists and butterfly enthusiasts alike and is an essential addition to every nature lover's bookshelves.

'Read this book, then look and wonder' Sunday Times We have to learn to live as part of nature, not apart from it. And the first step is to start looking after the insects, the little creatures that make our shared world go round. Insects are essential for life as we know it - without them, our world would look vastly different. Drawing on the latest ground-breaking research and a lifetime's study, Dave Goulson reveals the long decline of insect populations that has taken place in recent decades and its potential consequences. Eye-opening and inspiring, Silent Earth asks for profound change at every level and a passionate argument or us to love, respect and care for our six-legged friends. 'Compelling - Silent Earth is a wake-up call' Isabella Tree, author of Wilding 'Enlightening, urgent and funny, Goulson's book is a timely call for action' New Statesman

A New York Times 2018 Holiday Gift Selection Honey bees get all the press, but the fascinating story of North America's native bees--endangered species essential to our ecosystems and food supplies--is just as crucial. Through interviews with farmers, gardeners, scientists, and bee experts, Our Native Bees explores the importance of native bees and focuses on why they play a key role in gardening and agriculture. The people and stories are compelling: Paige Embry goes on a bee hunt with the world expert on the likely extinct Franklin's bumble bee, raises blue orchard bees in her refrigerator, and learns about an organization that turns the out-of-play areas in golf courses into pollinator habitats. Our Native Bees is a fascinating, must-read for fans of natural history and science and anyone curious about bees.

Insects are often overlooked because they are small or ignored because they are deemed trivial, and many are dismissed as nuisance pests. But their numbers and diversity are mind-numbing, and under even a modest hand lens they are beautiful or bizarre. Insects dominate the centre ground of all terrestrial and most aquatic ecosystems. They inform us of the conservation value of ancient woodland and chalk downland. They help monitor the purity or pollution levels of ponds, streams and rivers. And they can demonstrate the effects of climate change, acting as warning lights to alert us to the damage that humans are doing to the world. Recent insectageddon headlines are starting to make people sit up and take more notice. What better way to promote an interest in these fascinating creatures than by poetizing them? This cornucopia of discordant nonsense, with some quite frankly dubious rhyming clashes, is offered up so that entomological outreach will at least benefit from their shock value.

Interactions between people and animals are attracting overdue attention in diverse fields of scholarship, yet insects still creep within the shadows of more charismatic birds, fish, and mammals. Insect Histories of East Asia centers on bugs and creepy crawlies and the taxonomies in which they were embedded in China, Japan, and Korea to present a history of human and animal cocreation of habitats in ways that were both deliberate and unwitting. Using sources spanning from the earliest written records into the twentieth century, the contributors draw on a wide range of disciplines to explore the dynamic interaction between the notional insects that infested authors' imaginations and the six-legged creatures buzzing, hopping, and crawling around them.

Susan Knilans and Jacqueline Freeman are in love with bees. So in love that they observe their bees-their work, communication, seasonal activity and more-for hours each day. And with observation came realisation: when bees are allowed to live as they would in nature (with smaller hives, no chemicals, freedom to swarm and little-to-no human interference), they will thrive. Accordingly, Knilans and Freeman have spent decades perfecting the revolutionary practice of preservation beekeeping, guided by the simple question, "What do the bees want?" A surprising page-turner, this instructional book tells the story of their successes and failures, demonstrating what was learned along the way. Sharing preservation beekeeping's key tenets, the authors provide concrete, simple ways to implement their approach, from finding the right hive location to honing observation skills. This preservation manifesto is a vital addition to any beekeeper's library, imparting all the joys of a beekeeper's life.

Attracting Garden Pollinators is a friendly, accessible, information packed guide to gardening for and with pollinators. Pollinators are in trouble, but our gardens can help. Gardens represent a vast, varied nature reserve' packed with plants rich in nectar and pollen to sustain these delicate creatures. This book explores the role that pollinators play and how gardeners and people with gardens can do something to help attract and support them. From butterflies (and their caterpillars - with host plant information) to surprising pollinators (moths, wasps, beetles flies and hornets) and of course including honeybees, hoverflies and bumblebees, this book will offer an insight into their fragile existence, lifecycles and their vital role in the food chain and the natural cycle. Jean Vernon is the Best-Selling author of The Secret Lives of Garden Bees.

This is the first comprehensive firefly guide for eastern and central North America ever published. It is written for all those who want to know more about the amazing world of lightning bugs and learn the secrets hidden in the flash patterns of the 75+ species found in the eastern and central U.S. and Canada. As an independent researcher working with numerous university teams, naturalist Lynn Frierson Faust, "The Lightning Bug Lady," has spent decades tracking the behavior and researching the habitats of these fascinating creatures. Based on her twenty-five years of field work, this book is intended to increase understanding and appreciation of bioluminescent insects while igniting enthusiasm in a fun and informative way. Species accounts are coupled with historical background and literary epigraphs to engage and draw readers young and old into the world of these tiny sparklers. A chart documenting the flash patterns of the various species will aid in identification. Clear photos illustrate the insects' distinguishing physical characteristics, while habitats, seasonality, and common names are provided in clear, easy-to-understand yet scientifically accurate language. The guide will be welcomed by everyone who wants to learn more about fireflies' and glow-worms' unique traits and about their fragile niche in the ecosystem. FEATURES: Over 600 color photographs Detailed accounts and anatomical diagrams of 75+ species, as well as aids in distinguishing between similar species A first-of-its-kind flash-pattern chart that folds out on heavy-weight paper Extensive scientific details written in an understandable and engaging way Colorful, common names-Twilight Bush Baby, Shadow Ghosts, and Snappy Syncs, and more-for easy species identification based on flash patterns Tips on ideal sites and times of year for firefly watching Conservation-oriented approach

This title offers an insightful and intelligent exploration of modern beekeeping practices, and how they can be improved for a more sustainable and bee-friendly approach. In recent years, beekeepers around the world have suffered heavy and often dramatic loss of their colonies. Is it possible that the way in which bees are being kept could be part of the problem? And could hive design, artificial queen breeding, medication, and other elements of modern beekeeping be reducing the vitality of bees? "The Bee-Friendly Beekeeper" examines the issues surrounding modern beekeeping practices in order to identify an approach to keeping bees that is not only better for the bees themselves, but also for the future of beekeeping.

A friendly, accessible insight into the weird, but wonderful world of the bees you may find in your garden. From the common or garden bumblebees that nest in bird boxes, compost heaps and old mouse holes, making 'Winnie the Pooh' style honey pots to feed their babes, to the quirky wool carder bee; a solitary bee that combs the fluff from garden plants to line her brood cells and the amazing leaf-cutter bee that carves chunks out of plant foliage to seal its egg chambers. This book will reveal the secrets and fascinating lives of the bees that live and breed in your garden, from buzz pollination, to the bee robbers that cheat the plants and steal nectar by stealth. With a seasonal guide to explore what you are likely to see in your garden, great plants to grow to help them, plus other fascinating information on these secretive creatures, this book is designed to bring alive the world of garden bees before your very eyes.

An authoritative photographic guide to the butterflies of Europe. Packed with beautiful photography and thoroughly updated throughout, this is the definitive guide to all 472 species of European butterflies with additional information on another 64 species found in North Africa and south and west Turkey. Detailed text and clear photographs - including views of both the upperwing and underwing where possible - allow identification of adult butterflies in the field. There is also useful information on their relative size, similar species, habitat, lifestyle and larval host plants, accompanied by accurate range maps which have been updated for this new edition. The result of collaboration between many European butterfly experts and photographers, and compiled by a Finnish team, this thoroughly updated and comprehensive guide represents the last word in butterfly identification.

An introduction to insect physiology, genetics and behaviour which looks at the interaction between humans and insects, and explores both the positive and negative aspects of the relationship.

"The Beekeeper's Bible" is as much an ultimate guide to the practical essentials of beekeeping as it is a beautiful almanac to be read from cover to cover. Part history book, part handbook, and part cookbook, this illustrated tome covers every facet of the ancient hobby of beekeeping, from how to manage hives safely to harvesting one's own honey, and ideas for how to use honey and beeswax. Detailed instructions for making candles, furniture polish, beauty products, and nearly 100 honey-themed recipes are included. Fully illustrated with how-to photography and unique etchings, any backyard enthusiast or gardener can confidently dive into beekeeping with this book in hand (or daydream about harvesting their own honey while relaxing in the comfort of an armchair).
Praise for "The Beekeeper's Bible"
"Jones and Sweeney-Lynch explain the science and society of bees in clear, accessible language. And the recipes are admirably useful: honey scones, honey soap, honey hangover cures. 'Oh, stuff and fluff, ' as Pooh might say. Dip a paw into this richly satisfying volume and you won't have to do stoutness exercises."
-"The New York Times
""Lip-smackin' throughout, "The Beekeeper's Bible" is, at its heart, a glorious invitation into the depths of the honeybee hive." --"Chicago Tribune"
"An elegant, information-packed addition to the library of the most serious beekeeper." --"Better Homes & Gardens Country Gardens"

"An amazing compendium of information, lore, facts, tips, techniques, and benefits of having bees in your life--whether you choose to keep a hive yourself, enjoy the by-products, or just appreciate these wonderful creatures for all that they contribute to our human ecosystem."

--About.com

Dragonflies and damselflies are large-winged insects that are usually found in the vicinity of water. Impressive fliers -- they can fly forward, backward, glide and hover -- they feed on insects they capture on their wing. Despite their large size and prominent jaws, they are harmless to humans and do not bite. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 70 familiar and unique species and includes information on their life cycle and features illustrations of common caterpillars and pupae. Laminated for durability, this lightweight, pocket-sized folding guide is an excellent source of portable information and ideal for field use by naturalists of all ages. Made in the USA.

This practical pocket field guide, published in association with the Wildlife Trusts, includes 150 butterfly and moth species from Britain and the near Continent. Each species account contains accurate artworks that show details to help readers differentiate between male and female butterflies, moths and caterpillars of varying species. A concise written account outlines further essential information, such as size, description, habitat, flight times, distribution, foodplants and habits. The easy-to-follow layouts and illustrations aid quick identification, and make this book an indispensable reference in the field as well as at home. It is compact enough to fit in the pocket, yet filled with essential information for nature enthusiasts.

The first edition of the Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe was a ground-breaking identification guide that led to an increase in Odonata recording across Europe. The second edition includes fully revised regional guides and identification texts, updated distribution maps and conservation statuses, illustrated accounts for five species that have been discovered in the region since the first edition, updated checklists and taxonomy, new photographs throughout, as well as an introduction to larvae identification. Each species is lavishly illustrated with artworks of males, females and variations, as well as close-ups of important characters.

Leaf beetles are one of the largest groups of beetles, with tens of thousands of species worldwide and around 280 in Britain. They belong mainly to the family Chrysomelidae, but also to two small closely related families, the Megalopodidae and Orsodacnidae. This book provides a comprehensive overview with detailed and accessible coverage of the natural history, ecology and biology of leaf beetles. Topics cover the life history of leaf beetles, biology, their environment, natural enemies and interactions with humans. There is a thorough discussion about identification of British species, including detail on the juvenile stages (eggs, larvae, pupae) and a concise key to adults. A chapter is dedicated to study techniques and materials. The book is illustrated throughout with colour photographs and line drawings. Leaf beetles is a vital resource for entomology students and educators, naturalists, nature conservationists, those involved in agriculture, horticulture and the management of stored produce.

Learn to Identify Tiger Beetles with This Field Guide We are all very lucky that tiger beetles aren't the size of German Shepherds! These ferocious, pint-sized predators are beautifully marked, and some are extremely colorful. They are fascinating to watch and easy to find. Join in the fun with Tiger Beetles of Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan by Mathew Brust with full-color photography by Mike Reese. All 21 species found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan are covered in detail, with loads of amazing natural history and the information you need to identify what you see. Inside You'll Find All 21 species of tiger beetles found in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan Innovative format that makes field identification a snap Fieldmark arrows that point out the best distinguishing characteristics The best habitats to look for tiger beetles More than 180 color photos and detailed range maps for all species Elytra comparison chart for easy IDs "Tiger beetling" has become very popular with naturalists across the country. Get in on the fun with this handy field guide that conveniently fits in your backpack or back pocket.