Insects

A Field Guide to Harlequins

Field Guide Harlequins cover

I think ladybirds (or as my Nan called them in the her American vernacular – ladybugs) were the very first family of insects I learned to identify as a child. Perhaps bees or ants might have been ever-so-slightly earlier, but ladybirds were close behind them if so. Of course, at that young age I assumed that all ladybirds were alike, having no idea of the variation to be found throughout the world among the Family Coccinellidae – or that there was such a thing as the Coccinellidae, or taxonomic families, or taxonomy for that matter.

Much Ado About Mothing

Much Ado Mothing cover

In a little known early draft of “Much Ado About Nothing,” Shakespeare depicted Beatrice as an avid amateur lepidopterist with a particular interest in moths. Consequently, she would have well known “of old” the intricately camouflaged Jade Hawkmoth (Daphnis hypothous) which can quickly disappear to the observer the moment it lands upon a patch of foliage.

Mark Previews Britain’s Insects

Britains Insects cover

What with the WildGuides imprint originally being a British publishing enterprise before joining Princeton University Press, it’s not surprising that their remarkably thorough and innovative field guides make their first appearances in the UK before being seen in the US. Such is the case with the forthcoming ‘Britain’s Insects; A Field Guide to the Insects of Great Britain and Ireland’ by Dr. Paul D. Brock.

Field Guide to California Insects, Second Edition

FG California Insects 2 cover

Having gone quiet in 2014 following the publication of James P. Smith Jr.’s “Field Guide to Grasses of California,” I was delighted to learn that a new volume will be added to the California Natural History Guide series, its 111th, this October: the “Field Guide to California Insects,” Second Edition by Kip Will, Joyce Gross, Daniel Rubinoff, and Jerry A. Powell.

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