This is something different from the usual nature book, though in a familiar format of 'one a day' as seen in garden, flower and tree guides in this publisher's series.
Both authors have previously written in-depth books on wildlife. An Insect A Day consists of vignettes on creatures, ranging from African assassin bugs to wombat flies, Alpine longhorn beetles to zombie ladybird wasps. Be warned: you might see more of these on the Plant Health Risk Register soon. But the book is only serious by stealth and mostly consists of simple characteristics of insects, enlivened by poems and prose.
Read information about correct scientific name, behaviour, migration and protection mechanisms. But moreover, there are quirky facts about insects' involvement in folklore, history, faith and literature.
The ant anecdote for 29 March is from the Qur'an, tells of a meeting between Solomon and the ants. The 2 May shrill thorntree cicada is the loudest and one of the best camouflaged.
Flies and bugs are demonised from children's early years, a bit like slugs, as nasty. The beautiful photographs (and the lovely cover) help destroy the myth that insects are horrible. Looking at the amazing tiger-banded goggle eyes of the striped horsefly you can put aside their "not great" reputation and "fiery lance" to see their beauty.
There's plenty here to show how useful the insect world is in ecology. An ideal gift with good shelf presence, most people will learn something distinct and insect-sightful from this bee-autiful book.
