Did you know that for every human on earth, there are about one million ants? They are among the longest-lived insects with some ant queens passing the thirty-year mark as well as some of the strongest. Fans of both the city and countryside alike, ants decompose dead wood, turn over soil (in some places more than earthworms), and even help plant forests by distributing seeds. But while fewer than thirty of the nearly one thousand ant species living in North America are true pests, we cringe when we see them marching across our kitchen floors. No longer! In this witty, accessible, and beautifully illustrated guide, Eleanor Spicer Rice, Alex Wild, and Rob Dunn metamorphose creepy-crawly revulsion into myrmecological wonder. Emerging from Dunn's ambitious citizen science project Your Wild Life (an initiative based at North Carolina State University) and the work of Brian Fisher with the California Academy of Sciences, Dr. Eleanor's Book of Common Ants of California provides an eye-opening entomological overview of the natural history of California's species most noted by project participants and even offers tips on keeping ant farms in your home. Exploring species from the high noon and harvester ants to the honeypot and acrobat ants, and featuring Wild's stunning photography, this guide will be a tremendous resource for teachers, students, and scientists alike. But more than this, it will transform the way Californians perceive the environment around them by deepening their understanding of its littlest inhabitants, inspiring everyone to find their inner naturalist, get outside, and crawl across the dirt magnifying glass in hand.

South Africa has a great diversity of insect life which can be found everywhere – on the ground, in water and in the air. Remarkable Insects of South Africa seeks to introduce the reader to many of the more common and interesting species.

The book features many unique never before published photographs which serve to open a window into the amazing, sometimes bizarre and often beautiful but invariably intriguing miniature world of the insects. Through high-quality digital macro-photography accompanied by informative text and captions the reader is guided on a fascinating safari of images as insects feed, breed and hunt in their natural surroundings.

• Written from the viewpoint of a naturalist, rather than a scientist, the book presents both scientific facts and personal observations in a simple, easily understandable and interesting manner.
• The book is richly illustrated with more than 420 superb full-colour photographs.
• A special section on insect photography gives an overview of the techniques and equipment used in photographing these fascinating creatures.
• Insect-spotting is an increasingly popular hobby and this book makes a valuable addition to the literature on insects that occur in South Africa.

An indispensable and lavishly illustrated guide to creating a garden that attracts and sustains butterflies Butterfly gardening creates habitats that support butterflies, connecting us with some of the most beautiful creatures in the natural world and bringing new levels of excitement and joy to gardening. In this engaging and accessible guide, lavishly illustrated with more than two hundred color photographs and maps, accomplished butterfly gardener Jane Hurwitz presents essential information on how to choose and cultivate plants that will attract a range of butterflies to your garden and help sustain all the stages of their life cycles. An indispensable resource for aspiring and experienced butterfly gardeners alike, Butterfly Gardening is the most gardener-friendly source on the subject, covering all the practical details needed to create a vibrant garden habitat that fosters butterflies. It tells you which plants support which butterflies, depending on where you live; it describes what different butterflies require in the garden over the course of their lives; and it shows you how to become a butterfly watcher as well as a butterfly gardener. While predominantly recommending regionally native plants, the book includes information on non-native plants. It also features informative interviews with experienced butterfly gardeners from across the United States. These gardeners share a wealth of information on plants and practices to draw butterflies to all kinds of gardens--from small suburban gardens to community plots and larger expanses. Whether you are a gardener who wants to see more butterflies in your garden, a butterfly enthusiast who wants to bring that passion to the garden, or someone who simply wants to make their garden or yard friendlier to Monarchs or other butterflies, this is a must-have guide. An essential guide for aspiring and experienced butterfly gardeners Encourages readers to rethink gardening choices to support butterflies and other pollinators in their gardens and communities Introduces gardeners to butterfly watching Includes regional lists of plant species that are time-proven to help sustain butterflies and their caterpillars Features informative interviews with expert butterfly gardeners from across the United States

Take a stroll through any habitat and you will find animals with special adaptations that allow them to thrive there. These are the Animal Champions! Let's head to the mountains, skies, jungle and oceans to learn about what makes these animals champions and why they are perfect matches for the habitats they call home.

'A much-needed guide - you can't truly understand a moth or a butterfly without first getting to know the caterpillar.' - Nick Baker This beautifully illustrated field guide covers caterpillars of the moth and butterfly species that are most likely to be encountered in the British Isles. The comprehensive introduction covers how to study caterpillars and provides a window into their diverse natural histories, while the species accounts cover status, field characters, similar species, habitat, foodplant and field notes, and are accompanied with up-to-date distribution maps.

This title offers a guide to the world of arthropods, covering many insect orders, including beetles, flies, stick insects, dragonflies, ants and wasps, as well as microscopic creatures. It provides a fascinating overview of insects and spiders, including their habitats and classification, all shown in over 195 beautiful photographs and illustrations. All aspects of insect life are covered, such as the way insects defend themselves and how they are able to jump, leap and fly. It describes cryptic coloration, and the way insects can use camouflage to blend into their background and escape attack from predators. It offers various methods of feeding are discussed, from biting and chewing to lapping, sucking, piercing and filter feeding, according to their different mouthparts. It outlines their useful role in pollination of crops, production of honey, and removing insect pests. In the arthropoda phylum, insects are one of the most successful species, and spiders are one of the largest groups. This book studies how they organize their lives. The first section provides information of every aspect of insect life: evolution, anatomy, life cycles, flight and social organization. The last section describes the 30 orders within the class Insecta, demonstrating the huge variety of insects, from microscopic creatures to giant stick insects and large beetles. Typical features of insects in each order are highlighted. With expert text, illustrations and clear photographs, this guide will be enjoyed by all who take an interest in natural history.

Imagine a garden that is as beautiful as it is productive, that gives you fresh, wholesome, chemical-free food with flavours that go way beyond anything the shops can offer. In Eat What You Grow, Alys shows you how to create a rich, biodiverse garden that feeds not only you, but supports a wide range of pollinators, bees and butterflies, as well as other wildlife. From perennial vegetables that come back year after year, to easy-to-grow delights, she has selected plants that hold their own in both the garden and on the plate. And tells you how to raise these plants, guiding you through the process of feeding your soil, saving seed and taking cuttings to increase your supplies. She also teaches you simple and effective design tools that will ensure your garden looks striking and wild, brings joy to your world and feeds you day after day.

This revised and updated edition of Majerus & Kearns (1989) Ladybirds provides a succinct but comprehensive and accessible overview of the biology of ladybirds and their parasites, focusing on ecology in an evolutionary context. It provides the latest information, coverage of recent additions to the British list including the harlequin ladybird, and makes suggestions for further research, both short and long term, highlighting gaps in knowledge and showing readers how to get involved with recording and studying ladybirds. It includes updated keys for the identification of ladybirds at late-instar larval and adult stages, and techniques for studying ladybirds and their parasites in both laboratory and field. The authors hope that this book will be a valuable resource, not only for students, from school to university and beyond, but also for anyone with an interest in natural history, whether professional or recreational.

Pollinators in North Carolina include bats, bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, wasps, flies, and beetles. These beneficial species are both beautiful to observe and critical to the preservation of the state's diverse eco-system and agriculture. This portable folding guide includes illustrations and descriptions of 140 species and a back-panel map featuring some of the state's top nature viewing hot spots. A handy field reference and perfect take-along guide for visitors and nature enthusiasts of all ages. Made in the USA.www.waterfordpress.com

Authoritative, lavishly illustrated, and beautifully designed, this photographic ID of British and Irish flora and fauna will captivate nature enthusiasts of every age and ability. From golden eagles in the Scottish Highlands to Portuguese Man 'o' War jellyfish off the coast of Cornwall, the British Isles boasts an astonishing array of wildlife and habitat - and in this photographic tour, DK invites you to explore its extraordinary beauty, diversity, and wonder from the comfort of your living room. Habitat by habitat, British and Irish wildlife is revealed, and changes to the seasons are uncovered. Profiles of trees, flowers and plants, fungi, insects, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, invertebrates, fish, and birds provide key information on when and where to experience animals and plants in the flesh and at their best, while hundreds of spectacular photographs offer visual prompts to identification by showing them in their natural environments. An outstanding reference for the whole family - and the perfect armchair companion on days when you cannot get out and about - Wildlife of Britain and Ireland is a glorious visual testimony to the extraordinary scope and depth of the wildlife of the British Isles.

Intrepid international explorer, biologist, and photographer Mark W. Moffett, "the Indiana Jones of entomology," takes us around the globe on a strange and colorful journey in search of the hidden world of ants. In tales from Nigeria, Indonesia, the Amazon, Australia, California, and elsewhere, Moffett recounts his entomological exploits and provides fascinating details on how ants live and how they dominate their ecosystems through strikingly human behaviors, yet at a different scale and a faster tempo. Moffett's spectacular close-up photographs shrink us down to size, so that we can observe ants in familiar roles; warriors, builders, big-game hunters, and slave owners. We find them creating marketplaces and assembly lines and dealing with issues we think of as uniquely human--including hygiene, recycling, and warfare. "Adventures among Ants" introduces some of the world's most awe-inspiring species and offers a startling new perspective on the limits of our own perception.
- Ants are world-class road builders, handling traffic problems on thoroughfares that dwarf our highway systems in their complexity
- Ants with the largest societies often deploy complicated military tactics
- Some ants have evolved from hunter-gatherers into farmers, domesticating other insects and growing crops for food

Peterson
The best-selling field guides of all time
There are thousands of moth species in the northeast of North America, and while it might seem that they are all drab grays and browns, there is actually a startling variety. They come in a rainbow of colors, from brilliant oranges and pinks to soft greens and violets. There are moths with colorful leopardlike spots, and ones that look more like B-movie aliens; some that are as large as your hand, and others the size of a grain of rice.
With helpful tips on how to attract and identify moths, range maps and season graphs showing at a glance when and where to find each species, and clear photographs that use the unique Peterson arrow system for easy identification, this guide provides everything an amateur or experienced moth-watcher needs.
Sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute

Ticks are among the most competent and versatile vectors of pathogens and are second to mosquitoes as vectors of a number of human pathogens. They are the most important vector of pathogens affecting cattle worldwide. Problems with tick-borne diseases were related to the introduction of improved breeds of cattle into tick-infested areas because of their greater productivity compared to well-adapted indigenous breeds. The global loss due to ticks and tick borne diseases (TTBDs) was estimated to be between $13.9 and $18.7 billion annually while in India the cost of controlling TTBDs has been estimated at $498.7 million/annum. Also, cattle infested with ticks and infected with tick-borne disease agents were moved into areas where these tick species had not previously existed. This book is written by an international collection of tick experts of prestigious organizations and covers in-depth information on different aspects of ticks i.e. biology, acaricide resistance, tick-borne diseases, tick management strategies etc. It is a valuable resource for students, academic researchers and professionals because it covers the whole range of ticks and tick-borne diseases. This handbook was assembled through the efforts of five editors and the book chapters' authors, each of whom contributed to different components of the handbook.

The Butterflies of Britain & Ireland provides comprehensive coverage of all our resident and migratory butterflies, including the latest information on newly discovered species such as Cryptic Wood White and the Geranium Bronze. When first published in 1991 it won the Natural World Book of the Year Award and won plaudits from all quarters. Fully revised, considerably expanded and reset in 2010, it was judged that year's Guardian Nature Book of the Year. Now revised again to reflect the latest research findings, and with up-to-date distribution maps, this remarkable book is THE guide to the appearance, behaviour, life cycle and ecology of the butterflies of Britain and Ireland.

Thanks to its size and geographic position, Texas is home to nearly 30,000 species of insects, likely making its insect population the most diverse in the nation. Ranging from eastern and western to temperate and tropical species, this vast array of insects can be difficult to identify. In Common Insects of Texas and Surrounding States, John and Kendra Abbott have created the state's most comprehensive field guide to help readers recognize and understand these fascinating creatures. Containing 1,300 species and more than 2,700 photographs, this guide offers a wealth of information about the characteristics and behaviors of Texas's insects. Each chapter introduces an order with a discussion of general natural history and a description of other qualities helpful in distinguishing its various species, while every species' entry provides a state map showing where it is most likely to be found, a key displaying its seasonal distribution, information about its habitat, and corresponding photos. Featuring colored tabs for quick reference, a glossary, and information about other arthropods, this guide is the perfect companion for anyone wanting to identify and learn more about the many insects of Texas.

With iridescent blues and greens, damselflies are some of the most beautiful flying insects as well as the most primitive. As members of the insect order Odonata they are related to dragonflies but are classified in a separate suborder. These aquatic insects are a delight to the eye and a fascinating creature of study. In Damselflies of Alberta, naturalist John Acorn describes the twenty-two species native to the province. Exhaustively researched, yet written in an accessible style, the author's enthusiasm for these flying neon toothpicks is compelling. More than a field guide, this is a passionate investigation into one of nature's winged marvels of the wetlands.

Welcome to the strange and dangerous world of the VENOM DOC. Imagine a three-week-long first date in Siberia catching venomous water shrews, and later a wedding attended by Eastern European prime ministers and their bodyguards wielding machine guns. Then a life spent living and working with snakes. Lots of very, very poisonous snakes and other venomous creatures ... everything from the Malaysian king cobra to deadly scorpions. Welcome to Bryan Grieg Fry's world. In this action-packed ride through Bryan's life you'll meet the man who's worked with the world's most venomous creatures in over 50 countries. He's been bitten by 26 poisonous snakes and stung by three stingrays - and survived a near-fatal scorpion sting while deep in the Amazon jungle. He's also broken 23 bones, including breaking his back in three places, and had to learn how to walk again. But when you only research the venom you've collected yourself - the adventures, and danger, will just keep coming ... Dividing his time between scientific research and teaching at the University of Queensland, and TV filming and collecting expeditions around the world, Bryan and danger are never far from one another.

Insects live alongside us in great profusion - sometimes even in intimate proximity. Their importance to the ecosystems of our world, and to our own survival, cannot be overstated. But it can be challenging to relate to them as fellow living beings when their bodies' structure and function are so dramatically different from our own. This excellent RSPB guide to insect anatomy aims to demystify the way that insects live, from the fine detail of their internal processes to the way they co-exist with all other forms of life. Insects exhibit dizzying diversity across their millions of species. Among them are mighty hunters, voracious plant defoliators, deep divers, high-fliers, master builders and devoted parents. Within the vast nests of honey-bees, ants and termites, we see them come together to form a huge, complex, multifaceted living machine. All this variation and potential has come about through evolved modification of a simple but perfectly elegant body plan. Each chapter of this book tackles a particular body system or aspect of insect biology, from respiration to digestion, movement to metamorphosis. Using a step-by-step approach, the book breaks down structures and processes and explores the myriad ways these are expressed in different insect groups. Separate pages delve into particular aspects of insect biology and ecology, such as how their colours are formed and the biology behind their remarkable migratory behaviour. Featuring numerous diagrams and more than 200 colour photos, this user-friendly guide is perfect for anyone interested in learning more about these extraordinary animals that - in terms of numbers, if not size - dominate our planet today.

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 groundbreaking photographic field guide to almost all of Mexico's butterfly species and many of Central America's This is a revised second edition of a groundbreaking photographic field guide to the butterflies of Mexico and Central America. It covers almost all of the more than 1,700 butterfly species found in Mexico, plus many found only in Central America, including more than two-thirds of those in Costa Rica. Written by Jeffrey Glassberg, the pioneering authority on the field identification of butterflies, the guide features 3,250 large, gorgeous color photographs, the very best images available, accompanied by authoritative facing-page text. Range maps, field marks, and host plants are included for all Mexican butterflies. This second edition includes more species, many new photos, and updated text, maps, and species names. The result is an ideal field guide that will enable you to identify almost every butterfly you see. * A revised second edition of a groundbreaking guide, featuring more species, many new photos, and updated text, maps, and species names* The first complete guide to Mexican butterflies* Covers almost all of Mexico's more than 1,700 species, plus many Central American species, including more than two-thirds of those in Costa Rica* Written by the pioneering authority on the field identification of butterflies* Beautifully illustrated with 3,250 color photographs that highlight key identification features* Range maps, field marks, and host plants for all Mexican species* Authoritative facing-page text* An invaluable tool for field identification

**SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER** The Garden Jungle is a wonderful introduction to the hundreds of small creatures with whom we live cheek-by-jowl and of the myriad ways that we can encourage them to thrive. The Garden Jungle is about the wildlife that lives right under our noses, in our gardens and parks, between the gaps in the pavement, and in the soil beneath our feet. Wherever you are right now, the chances are that there are worms, woodlice, centipedes, flies, silverfish, wasps, beetles, mice, shrews and much, much more, quietly living within just a few paces of you. Dave Goulson gives us an insight into the fascinating and sometimes weird lives of these creatures, taking us burrowing into the compost heap, digging under the lawn and diving into the garden pond. He explains how our lives and ultimately the fate of humankind are inextricably intertwined with that of earwigs, bees, lacewings and hoverflies, unappreciated heroes of the natural world. The Garden Jungle is at times an immensely serious book, exploring the environmental harm inadvertently done by gardeners who buy intensively reared plants in disposable plastic pots, sprayed with pesticides and grown in peat cut from the ground. Goulson argues that gardens could become places where we can reconnect with nature and rediscover where food comes from. For anyone who has a garden, and cares about our planet, this book is essential reading.