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This book provides the first comprehensive coverage of the dragonflies and damselflies of the Delmarva Peninsula. It includes color photographs of all 129 species known to occur in the region. Each species serves as a prompt for a short essay. The collection offers an eclectic introduction to the world of dragonflies and the people who study them. There is something here for everyone from the casual reader to the expert.
This book provides the first comprehensive coverage of the dragonflies and damselflies of the Delmarva Peninsula. It includes color photographs of all 129 species known to occur in the region. Each species serves as a prompt for a short essay. The collection offers an eclectic introduction to the world of dragonflies and the people who study them. There is something here for everyone from the casual reader to the expert.
Dragonflies and damselflies (together known as Odonata) are among the most remarkably distinctive insects in their appearance and biology, and they have become some of the most popular creatures sought by avocational naturalists. Texas hosts 160 species of dragonflies, nearly half of the 327 species known in North America, making the state a particularly good place to observe dragonflies in their natural habitats. Dragonflies of Texas is the definitive field guide to these insects. It covers all 160 species with in situ photographs and detailed anatomical images as needed. Each species is given a two-page spread that includes photographs of both sexes and known variations when possible, key features, a distribution map, identification, discussion of similar species, status in Texas, habitat, seasonality, and general comments. Many of the groups also have comparative plates that show anatomically distinctive characteristics. In addition to the species accounts, John Abbott discusses dragonfly anatomy, life history, conservation, names, and photography. He also provides information on species that may eventually be discovered in Texas, state and global conservation rankings, seasonality of all species in chronological order, and additional resources and publications on the identification of dragonflies.
While we were preparing our book The Naming of Australia's Dragonflies, each of us consulted the etymologies given in A Checklist of North American Odonata: including English name, etymology, type locality, and distribution by Dennis R. Paulson & Sidney W. Dunkle (2012). When we met for the first time at the European Congress of Odonatology (2016) in Tyringe, Sweden, amongst our many conversations we agreed that we had found some entries which could warrant a review. Also recent work by Matti Hämäläinen had shed additional light on some people commemorated with an eponym. We contacted Dennis, the senior author of the checklist, and offered to provide amendments for some of the definitions, and he readily agreed. With this encouragement a number of amendments were suggested for inclusion in the next edition of the checklist. However, our research which included perusal of the original description for every taxon, revealed much information that could not be encapsulated in the phrase or sentence to match the checklist format. When assembled, it was fast approaching the size that warranted publication as a book. If a short biography of each author was included, a book it had to be. We have many people to thank for help in finding copies of the more obscure references. Once the etymologies were essentially complete, and we had started on the biographies, Dennis recruited Harold "Hal" White to help with sourcing photographs of American practitioners and to give a point of contact for those entomologists still, or recently, active in this field. Publication and Distribution presented another problem. This was not the sort of work that would be snapped up by a commercial publisher who would then market and distribute it worldwide, and it was not feasible to distribute from somewhere as remote from America as Australia (or Europe). Whilst many people now prefer publications as a pdf, neither of us would be happy if that were the only medium to be made available. Busybird Publishing, who prepared the volume on the Australian taxa, introduced us to the concept of Print On Demand, and that was the solution we had been seeking. In November 2018 a new edition of the Checklist was published which required us to include an extra four species and another author's biography. And here you have the result of that team's work over more than two years.
Animal migration is a magnificent sight: a mile-long blanket of cranes rising from a Nebraska river and filling the sky; hundreds of thousands of wildebeests marching across the Serengeti; a blaze of orange as millions of monarch butterflies spread their wings to take flight. Nature’s great migrations have captivated countless spectators, none more so than premier ecologist David S. Wilcove. In No Way Home, his awe is palpable—as are the growing threats to migratory animals. We may be witnessing a dying phenomenon among many species. Migration has always been arduous, but today’s travelers face unprecedented dangers. Skyscrapers and cell towers lure birds and bats to untimely deaths, fences and farms block herds of antelope, salmon are caught en route between ocean and river, breeding and wintering grounds are paved over or plowed, and global warming disrupts the synchronized schedules of predators and prey. The result is a dramatic decline in the number of migrants. Wilcove guides us on their treacherous journeys, describing the barriers to migration and exploring what compels animals to keep on trekking. He also brings to life the adventures of scientists who study migrants. Often as bold as their subjects, researchers speed wildly along deserted roads to track birds soaring overhead, explore glaciers in search of frozen locusts, and outfit dragonflies with transmitters weighing less than one one-hundredth of an ounce. Scientific discoveries and advanced technologies are helping us to understand migrations better, but alone, they won’t stop sea turtles and songbirds from going the way of the bison or passenger pigeon. What’s required is the commitment and cooperation of the far-flung countries migrants cross—long before extinction is a threat. As Wilcove writes, “protecting the abundance of migration is key to protecting the glory of migration.” No Way Home offers powerful inspiration to preserve those glorious journeys.
This is a passionate look at a ubiquitous group of insects.