Stunning photographic guide to bugs, from the beautiful to the bizarre
and every bug in between
Smithsonian Handbook of Interesting Insects presents striking
photographic profiles of insects, each one specially selected from the
34 million specimens found in one of the oldest and most important
entomology collection in the world, held by London's Natural History
Museum. The book showcases more than one hundred significant bug
species, including the ruby-tailed wasp, the garden tiger moth, the
jewel beetle, the flying stick insect, the orchid bee, and many others.
Magnificent full-color photographs show the bugs in detail, so that
readers can learn to distinguish, for example, the translucent abdomen
of the great pied hoverfly from the yellow or orange markings on a giant
scoliid wasp. Each detailed and dazzling photograph is accompanied by a
caption describing the bug's lifestyle, distribution, size, and key
characteristics. An insightful introduction also explores the different
orders and families found in the insect classes and an explanation of
how they have evolved. Based on the most up-to-date science and
accessibly written, the book will appeal to scientists and amateur
science readers alike.
