Insects Books

The paintings by John Cody are wonderfully realistic, lively portrayals of some of our most beautiful insects. The moths are not shown pinned but in flight or real poses with real and appropriate plants and flowers. A must for any admirer of Lepidoptera!

When I first stumbled onto this impressive book in the store, I could not put it down! John Cody's paintings are masterful. They are full of the most delicate brilliant colors and light. Page after page features the loveliest images of these wonderful creatures from around the World. Attention to detail is second to none, his accurate and perceptive portrayals demonstrate an intimate knowledge of these ethereal insects in a spectacular fashion.
My brothers and I avidly collected these moths at night, in the rural North Carolina mountains. It was thrilling to see them dart around the street lamps like fiery jewels. Unfortunately, most books on this subject feature photos of pinned, faded samples. I've always felt it was a shame people couldn't experience their enchanting magic like we did. John Cody's book does that.

Thomas Seeley has written an amazing book that will work for many different types of readers at many levels. The book outlines experiments that Seeley did with prepared hives to demonstrate the system dynamics of how a hive adapts to the resources around it. Seeley's style is easy for a layperson to read with clear charts and pictures. This is a great book to savor; read a chapter, then daydream about how these creatures could be constructed to perform their functions.

I got a lot out of the book. First of all, it's a narrative of Seeley's experimental method; he labels a hive (puts the bees in a hive in a refrigerator, pulls them out one by one and puts identifying tags on each), sets up feeding stations with different concentrations of sugar at different distances, then observes behavior to demonstrate how individual variation in bees optimizes the hive's collection of resources. Second, it's a pretty good introduction to bee physiology and the hive's social system. Seeley describes experiments tracking the individual jobs of bees as they age and, in doing so, he covers how and what the bees do. Third, Seeley reviews and describes the previous literature, giving a history of behavioral study of bees. Finally, he develops his thesis regarding the hive as a system, with parallels to systems theory and studies of hierarchies of organization.

This is a fun read; easy to get through, thought provoking, giving you appreciation for the author's work and for the creatures that are his subject.

This is a special scientific book, for the author tells the reader not only WHAT we know about the inner workings of honey bee colonies, but also HOW we know it. Through simple but graceful writing, accompanied by many diagrams, Seeley takes you on a step-by-step journey through his experimental analysis of how the members of a bee colony work together to gather the nectar, pollen, and water that they need. I think anyone interested in seeing how a human has dissected the complex internal organization of a bee hive will find this a rewarding read. I especially liked chapter 6, where Seeley explains that the bees have several kinds of communication dances, not just the famous waggle dance, to activate more bees for making honey.

This book can be unreservedly recommended-- not only for butterfly lovers and aficionados but the general lover of nature. To its great credit, it does many things at the same time, and does them all well. While it can introduce the general nature lover to the wonders of butterflies, it can also take seasoned butterfly enthusiasts even deeper into their favorite subject. Neither party will feel left out. The book is a judicious combination of informed text and beautiful, pertinent, photographs and graphic illustrations. One role this book fills is a gap which has "gaped" for many decades-- one between the simple love of Lepidoptera and the science of Lepidoptera. Many lepidopterists who see this book are going to wish THEY had it when they were young. This is because the book builds so many easy bridges between the simple love of butterflies and the wondrous complexity of their science. It hits the whole spectrum-- from life cycle, body and structure, classification, distribution, and general biology to more complex topics-- like mimicry and genetics. And, in each case, there are diagrams and/or photographs making even the most complex topics readily understandable. I bought a copy and gave it to a young friend who, at 10, is just beginning to take his love of butterflies to a higher level of serious learning. However, the book will work just as well for adults; if a professional wanted a quick refresher on many topics in lepidoptery he could find them here as well. The other major topic that A World For Butterflies bites off with gusto is conservation. The topic is treated not just with sweeping worldwide generalities but with compelling and intricate case studies highlighting the complexities that lie beneath the problem of species endangerment worldwide. This book deserves to do very well.

The author's goal was to bridge the gap between researcher and teacher. I think he accomplished this admirably through the pictures. Almost every page has a beautiful photograph. The book is comprehensive and authoritative, covering conservation, classification, life cycle, and geographic distribution. "Six case studies illustrate some of the major problems faced by butterflies, and some of the real and potential solutions that have been (or can be) used to moderate their decline or endangerment". Includes bibliographic references and index. This book should appeal to young fans of the Very Hungry Butterfly as well as older students studying and classifying butterflies.

This book is so fun to read. The zum-zum, zzzng-zxzng is contagious, the illustrations are great, and the whole idea of the book is wonderfully goofy.

Mosquitoes have never looked so good and sympathetic. Do you have kids who hate mosquitoe bites? Then this is the book for you. The art is lovely and playful; the text is simple and rhythmic. 5 Stars for this nice visual combination.

This book would be perfect for a science project. It describes the unique characteristics of insects in a factual context.
For instance, an insect has a compound eye, antenna, 2-3 simple eyes and a 3-part thorax. There are approximately 11 abdominal segments and a characteristic respiratory system. Worldwide, there are approximately 700,000 species of insects. In North America alone, there are 90,000 species. Insects live everywhere on earth. Plant life needs insects. Man needs insects for honey,
silk and shellac. Hairy-winged beetles are among the smallest insects. An insect can pull up to twenty times its weight.
A locust can fly up to 9 hours continuously. African beetles are
the largest insects in the world. Insects have multiple
types of antennae. i.e. Plumose, lamellate, setaceous, clavate,
pectinate, filliform and aristate. An insect can fly up to
15 MPH. The wings of a mosquito can vibrate up to 1000 times
per second. The "Great Moth" has up to 4000 muscles.

This work is a goldmine if you have a specific interest in insects.

Our son loves the tv show so we tried the books. He enjoys seeing the characters in book format and is quick to rattle off their names. Its the association between seeing them on TV and then in a book that excites him most. At less than 2 years of age, its become his favorite story collection (we own several others too).

All ESA Recovery Plans from 1989 to 2001 are included. There are so many endangered & threatened species in the USA it just boggles the mind! And all this incredibly hard to find information is listed on a single CD! Absolutely amazing!

While the ESA is currently under siege by the Bush 2 Administration, one has to wonder if anyone in the current Interior Department is following through on any of these plans! I look forward to an update of this important information in 2009, once a more enlightened group of individuals retakes the White House!

This book is a reprint of an 1882 publication, illustrated by William Kirby. I'm amazed at the accuracy of the illustrations. I'm further amazed that these butterflies and moths look the same now as 126 years ago. Lepodopteraphiles, I highly recommend you add Kirby's book to your collection. BTW the price is righteous.
Robert Lord Zimlich

The best of the book is that was written for a family members who have first hand experience in the field of beekeeping.
Unfortunately the information belongs to 1947, which is the original copyright. It is not 2005 as published by Amazon

"Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends: ABC" is an alphabet book, but no ordinary alphabet book. This a lift-the-flap book, filled with all the fun of Sunny Patch. Each flap reveals something new --- Aa / Bb for Adventurous Ants (Ted and Ned) and Bobbling Bounce, Ss / Tt for Surfing Squirt / Tea Time and more.

From what I can tell, a lot of the images (if not all of them) in this book are lifted from other "Miss Spider" books. That's okay though --- readers who are fond of the series will probably recognize familiar images. And if your child is just starting to learn the alphabet, this may be a book he or she can really connect with. From the back of the book --- "Learning your ABCs has never been this much fun!"