Extraordinary Insects

Extraordinary Insects PDF Author: Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 9780008316372
Category : Evolution (Biology)
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
A journey into the weird, wonderful and truly astonishing lives of the small but mighty creatures who keep the world turning. Out of sight, underfoot, unseen beyond fleeting scuttles or darting flights, insects occupy a hidden world, yet are essential to sustaining life on earth. Insects influence our ecosystem like a ripple effect on water. They arrived when life first moved to dry land, they preceded - and survived - the dinosaurs, they outnumber the grains of sand on all the world's beaches, and they will be here long after us. Working quietly but tirelessly, they give us food, uphold our ecosystems, can heal our wounds and even digest plastic. They could also provide us with new solutions to the antibiotics crisis, assist in disaster zones and inspire airforce engineers with their flying techniques. But their private lives are also full of fun, intrigue and wonder -musical mating rituals; house-hunting for armies of beetle babies; metamorphosing into new characters; throwing parties in fermenting sap; cultivating fungi for food; farming smaller species for honey dew and always ensuring that what is dead is decomposed, ready to become life once again. Here, we will discover life and death, drama and dreams, all on a millimetric scale. Like it or not, Earth is the planet of insects, and this is their extraordinary story.

Extraordinary Insects

Extraordinary Insects PDF Author: Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 9780008316372
Category : Evolution (Biology)
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book Here

Book Description
A journey into the weird, wonderful and truly astonishing lives of the small but mighty creatures who keep the world turning. Out of sight, underfoot, unseen beyond fleeting scuttles or darting flights, insects occupy a hidden world, yet are essential to sustaining life on earth. Insects influence our ecosystem like a ripple effect on water. They arrived when life first moved to dry land, they preceded - and survived - the dinosaurs, they outnumber the grains of sand on all the world's beaches, and they will be here long after us. Working quietly but tirelessly, they give us food, uphold our ecosystems, can heal our wounds and even digest plastic. They could also provide us with new solutions to the antibiotics crisis, assist in disaster zones and inspire airforce engineers with their flying techniques. But their private lives are also full of fun, intrigue and wonder -musical mating rituals; house-hunting for armies of beetle babies; metamorphosing into new characters; throwing parties in fermenting sap; cultivating fungi for food; farming smaller species for honey dew and always ensuring that what is dead is decomposed, ready to become life once again. Here, we will discover life and death, drama and dreams, all on a millimetric scale. Like it or not, Earth is the planet of insects, and this is their extraordinary story.

The Fabulous Insects

The Fabulous Insects PDF Author: Charles Neider
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description


Buzz, Sting, Bite

Buzz, Sting, Bite PDF Author: Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 1982112875
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
An enthusiastic, witty, and informative introduction to the world of insects and why we—and the planet we inhabit—could not survive without them. Insects comprise roughly half of the animal kingdom. They live everywhere—deep inside caves, 18,000 feet high in the Himalayas, inside computers, in Yellowstone’s hot springs, and in the ears and nostrils of much larger creatures. There are insects that have ears on their knees, eyes on their penises, and tongues under their feet. Most of us think life would be better without bugs. In fact, life would be impossible without them. Most of us know that we would not have honey without honeybees, but without the pinhead-sized chocolate midge, cocoa flowers would not pollinate. No cocoa, no chocolate. The ink that was used to write the Declaration of Independence was derived from galls on oak trees, which are induced by a small wasp. The fruit fly was essential to medical and biological research experiments that resulted in six Nobel prizes. Blowfly larva can clean difficult wounds; flour beetle larva can digest plastic; several species of insects have been essential to the development of antibiotics. Insects turn dead plants and animals into soil. They pollinate flowers, including crops that we depend on. They provide food for other animals, such as birds and bats. They control organisms that are harmful to humans. Life as we know it depends on these small creatures. With ecologist Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson as our capable, entertaining guide into the insect world, we’ll learn that there is more variety among insects than we can even imagine and the more you learn about insects, the more fascinating they become. Buzz, Sting, Bite is an essential introduction to the little creatures that make the world go round.

Bug Music

Bug Music PDF Author: David Rothenberg
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1250005213
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
Analyzes the role of insects in teaching humans about music, tracing research into exotic insect markets and research labs while explaining how insect sound and movement patterns inspired traditions in rhythm, synchronization, and dance.

The Backyard Bug Book for Kids

The Backyard Bug Book for Kids PDF Author: Lauren Davidson
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 1641525266
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 50

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Book Description
Crawl into the wonderful world of bugs this summer—a fun photographic adventure for kids ages 3 to 5. Take preschool and kindergarten kids on an educational adventure bursting with colorful photographs. The Backyard Bug Book for Kids has a story, pictures, and activities all in one! It's the perfect summer activity to introduce your little one to the types of bugs they're likely to see during their day! Then, help them remember what they've learned with fun, on-the-page challenges. Go beyond other bug books for kids with: Bugs galore—Learn cool facts about familiar insects: ladybugs, grasshoppers, dragonflies, and more. Amazing pictures—See creepy crawlies up close with big and colorful photos that will keep your little one curious and interested in learning during summer bridge learning and beyond. Exciting activities—Continue the learning with all kinds of bug-themed activities. Give your child a bug's-eye view of the world!

Bugs by the Numbers

Bugs by the Numbers PDF Author: Sharon Werner
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781609050610
Category : Children's stories
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Provides readers with facts about bugs and other creepy-crawlers while introducing the concept of numbers and counting.

The Fabulous Insects. Edited, with an Introduction, by C. Neider

The Fabulous Insects. Edited, with an Introduction, by C. Neider PDF Author: Charles Neider
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description


Insects Of The Southwest

Insects Of The Southwest PDF Author: Werner/ols
Publisher: Da Capo Press
ISBN: 9781555610609
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description


Drawing and Painting Insects

Drawing and Painting Insects PDF Author: Andrew Tyzack
Publisher: Crowood
ISBN: 1847976255
Category : Crafts & Hobbies
Languages : en
Pages : 521

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Book Description
Drawing and Painting Insects is a beautiful and inspiring guide. Whatever your experience, whether new to the subject or a seasoned entomologist, this book will help you capture the beauty of insects by helping you understand their structure and appreciate their behaviour, movement, colour and habitat. Advice on finding insects to draw and paint, including how to raise your own insect models; Guide to the anatomy and life cycles of the insect for the artist; Step-by-step demonstrations of drawings, looking at perspective, tonal values and mark-making techniques; Examples of watercolour and oil paintings representing insects in precise, scientific renditions through to more creative interpretations; Introduction to other uses of insect illustration, including printmaking, sculpture, leather and glass; Illustrated with examples and insights from leading artists. A beautiful and inspiring guide to drawing and painting insects, of inspiration to botanical artists, natural historians, wildlife artists and biologists. Gives advice on finding insects to draw and paint, understanding their structure, appreciating their behaviour, movement, colour, habitat and much more. Superbly illustrated with examples and insights from leading artists - 541 colour illustrations in total. Andrew Tyzack is a graduate from the Royal College of Art and is well known for his painting of beekeepers and engravings of bees.

The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World

The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World PDF Author: Oliver Milman
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 1324006609
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
A devastating examination of how collapsing insect populations worldwide threaten everything from wild birds to the food on our plate. From ants scurrying under leaf litter to bees able to fly higher than Mount Kilimanjaro, insects are everywhere. Three out of every four of our planet’s known animal species are insects. In The Insect Crisis, acclaimed journalist Oliver Milman dives into the torrent of recent evidence that suggests this kaleidoscopic group of creatures is suffering the greatest existential crisis in its remarkable 400-million-year history. What is causing the collapse of the insect world? Why does this alarming decline pose such a threat to us? And what can be done to stem the loss of the miniature empires that hold aloft life as we know it? With urgency and great clarity, Milman explores this hidden emergency, arguing that its consequences could even rival climate change. He joins the scientists tracking the decline of insect populations across the globe, including the soaring mountains of Mexico that host an epic, yet dwindling, migration of monarch butterflies; the verdant countryside of England that has been emptied of insect life; the gargantuan fields of U.S. agriculture that have proved a killing ground for bees; and an offbeat experiment in Denmark that shows there aren’t that many bugs splattering into your car windshield these days. These losses not only further tear at the tapestry of life on our degraded planet; they imperil everything we hold dear, from the food on our supermarket shelves to the medicines in our cabinets to the riot of nature that thrills and enlivens us. Even insects we may dread, including the hated cockroach, or the stinging wasp, play crucial ecological roles, and their decline would profoundly shape our own story. By connecting butterfly and bee, moth and beetle from across the globe, the full scope of loss renders a portrait of a crisis that threatens to upend the workings of our collective history. Part warning, part celebration of the incredible variety of insects, The Insect Crisis is a wake-up call for us all.