Aphids are tempting subjects for investigation because they are often abundant, easily found, and unlikely to run away, and because of intriguing facts about their biology such as polyphenism, parthenogenesis, gall formation, and the production of a soldier morph. However, until now identification has presented a severe challenge to the beginner, because there are so many rather similar species, many of which have several different forms. The authors make this much-needed Naturalists' Handbook accessible by confining themselves to aphids living on broad-leaved trees. This has reduced the problems of identification to manageable proportions and should encourage more field studies of this important and ubiquitous group of insects. This is a digital reprint (without updates) of ISBN 9780855463144 (2007).

"If you're looking for a dose of wonder in your reading life, I recommend this beautiful book about the magic of fig trees."-Book Riot Over millions of years, fig trees have shaped our world, influenced our evolution, nourished our bodies and fed our imaginations. And as author and ecologist Mike Shanahan proclaims, "The best could be yet to come." Gods, Wasps and Stranglers weaves together the mythology, history and ecology of one of the world's most fascinating-and diverse-groups of plants, from their starring role in every major religion to their potential to restore rainforests, halt the loss of rare and endangered species and even limit climate change. In this lively and joyous book, Shanahan recounts the epic journeys of tiny fig wasps, whose eighty-million-year-old relationship with fig trees has helped them sustain more species of birds and mammals than any other trees; the curious habits of fig-dependent rhinoceros hornbills; figs' connection to Krishna and Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad; and even their importance to Kenya's struggle for independence. Ultimately, Gods, Wasps and Stranglers is a story about humanity's relationship with nature, one that is as relevant to our future as it is to our past.