Sign-In
Cart
What's Bugging You?: A Fond Look at the Animals We Love to Hate
Hardcover
Publisher Price: $26.95
ISBN13: 9780813926988
Publisher: Univ Of Virginia Pr
Published: Mar 7 2008
Pages: 176
Weight: 0.75
Height: 0.73 Width: 5.94 Depth: 8.67
Language: English
We are told from the time we are children that insects and spiders are pests, when the truth is that most have little or no effect on us--although the few that do are often essential to our existence. Arthur Evans suggests we take a closer look at our slapped-at, stepped-on, and otherwise ignored cohabitants, who vastly outnumber us and whose worlds often occupy spaces that we didn't even know existed.
What's Bugging You? brings together fifty unforgettable stories from the celebrated nature writer and entomologist's popular Richmond Times-Dispatch column. Evans has scoured Virginia's wild places and returned with wondrous stories about the seventeen-year sleep of the periodical cicadas, moths that evade hungry bats by sensing echolocation signals, and the luminous language of light employed by fireflies. He also visits some not-so-wild places: the little mounds of upturned soil scattered along the margins of soccer fields are the dung beetle's calling card.
What does the world look like to a bug? Evans explores insect vision, which is both better, and worse, than that of humans (they are capable of detecting ultraviolet light, but many cannot see the color red), pausing to observe that it is its wide-set forward-looking eyes that imbue the praying mantis with personality. He is willing to defend such oft-maligned creatures as the earwig, the tent caterpillar, and the cockroach--revealed here as a valuable scavenger, food source for other animals, and even a pollinator, that spends more time grooming itself than it does invading human space.
Evans's search for multilegged life takes him to an enchanting assortment of locations, ranging from gleaming sandy beaches preferred by a threatened tiger beetle to the shady, leaf-strewn forest floors where a centipede digs its brood chamber--to a busy country road where Evans must dodge constant foot and vehicular traffic to photograph a spider wasp as its claims its paralyzed prey. His forays also provide the reader with a unique window on the cycles of nature. What Evans refers to as the FBI--fungus, bacteria, insects--are the chief agents in decomposition and a vital part of regeneration. Evans also takes on many issues concerning humans' almost always destructive interaction with insect life, such as excessive mowing and clearing of wood that robs wildlife of its food and habitat, as well as harmful bug zappers that kill everything but mosquitoes.
The reader emerges from this book realizing that even seemingly mundane forms of insect and spider life present us with unexpected beauty and fascinating lifestyles.
Also in
Insects & Spiders
The Butterfly Season: What 64 Butterflies Taught Me about Nature's Great Mysteries and the Meaning of Life
Korsgaard, Lea
Hardcover
Insect Anatomy: The Curious World of Bees, Beetles, Butterflies, and Bugs
Rothman, Julia
Hearst, Michael
Paperback
Flow Hive's Book of Bees and Beekeeping: Protect, Enjoy, Harvest
Anderson, Stuart
Anderson, Cedar
Hardcover
Natural Habitats and Wildlife Gardening: Inviting Nature Into Your Backyard
McCoshum, Shaun
Paperback
Brain Games - Sticker by Number - Vintage: Butterflies (28 Images to Sticker)
Brain Games
New Seasons
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
A Year of Forest School: Outdoor Play and Skill-Building Fun for Every Season
Houghton, Peter
Worroll, Jane
Paperback
The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North America's Bees
Carril, Olivia Messinger
Wilson, Joseph S.
Paperback
Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration
Dykman, Sara
Paperback
The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses
Sweeney-Lynch, Sharon
Jones, Richard a.
Hardcover
Victory Gardens for Bees: A DIY Guide to Saving the Bees, Revised Edition
Weidenhammer, Lori
Paperback
Common Native Bees of the Eastern United States: Your Way to Easily Identify Bees and Look-Alikes
Holm, Heather
Paperback
Butterflies and Moths: A Fully Illustrated, Authoritative and Easy-To-Use Guide
Mitchell, Robert T.
Zim, Herbert S.
Paperback
Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide
Thorp, Robbin W.
Richardson, Leif L.
Williams, Paul H.
Paperback
Smithsonian Handbook of Interesting Insects
Broad, Gavin
Huertas, Blanca
Kirk-Spriggs, Ashley
Hardcover
Garden Bugs & Insects of the Midwest: Identify Pollinators, Pests, and Other Garden Visitors
Daniels, Jaret C.
Paperback
The Butterfly Thief: Adventure, Fraud, Scotland Yard, and Australia's Greatest Museum Heist
Marsh, Walter
Paperback
Spiders of the United States & Canada: Easily Identify 158 Common Species
Echeverri, Sebastian Alejandro
Paperback
Garden Bugs & Insects of the Northeast: Identify Pollinators, Pests, and Other Garden Visitors
Daniels, Jaret C.
Paperback
The Beekeeper's Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America
Nordhaus, Hannah
Paperback
Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects
Stewart, Amy
Hardcover
Dragonflies and Damselflies of the World: A Guide to Their Diversity
Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B.
Hardcover
Insect Architecture: How Insects Build, Engineer, and Shape Their World
Engel, Michael S.
Jackson, Tom
Hardcover
The Lives of Butterflies: A Natural History of Our Planet's Butterfly Life
James, David G.
Lohman, David J.
Hardcover
The Insect Artist: How to Observe, Draw, and Paint Butterflies, Bees, and More
Thalden, Zebith Stacy
Paperback
Maria Sibylla Merian's Metamorphosis: One Woman's Discovery of the Transformation of Butterflies and Insects
Merian, Maria Sibylla
Paperback
Rise of the Zombie Bugs: The Surprising Science of Parasitic Mind-Control
Weisberger, Mindy
Hardcover
Attracting Native Pollinators: The Xerces Society Guide Protecting North America's Bees and Butterflies
The Xerces Society
Paperback
The Brilliance of Honeybees: How Bees Feed the World, And the Ways We Can Protect Them
Kelley, Laura Littlefield
Paperback
Butterflies, Bees & Dragonflies Coloring Book: Over 150 Pages of Natural Beauty to Color with Beautiful Sprayed Edges - Over 150 Pages of Beautiful Bo
Editors of Chartwell Books
Paperback
An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Beekeeping: From Setting Up Hives to Harvesting Honey
Morrison, Alethea
Paperback
Moths & Caterpillars of Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan: A Handy Field Reference to 372 Species
Sogaard, Jim
Paperback
Caterpillars of North America: Easily Identify 90 Common Butterflies and Moths
Daniels, Jaret C.
Paperback
Garden Bugs & Insects of the Northwest: Identify Pollinators, Pests, and Other Garden Visitors
Daniels, Jaret C.
Paperback
Maria Sibylla Merian's Metamorphosis: One Woman's Discovery of the Transformation of Butterflies and Insects
Merian, Maria Sibylla
Hardcover
Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Bees & Butterflies: Northern California
Miller, George Oxford
Paperback
Garden Bugs & Insects of California: Identify Pollinators, Pests, and Other Garden Visitors
Daniels, Jaret C.
Paperback
100 Plants to Feed the Monarch: Create a Healthy Habitat to Sustain North America's Most Beloved Butterfly
The Xerces Society
Paperback
Common Native Bees of the Western United States: Your Way to Easily Identify Bees and Look-Alikes
Bartlett, Ryan
Paperback
Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees, 2nd Edition: Honey Production, Pollination, Health
Sanford, Malcolm T.
Bonney, Richard E.
Paperback
Backyard Bugs: An Identification Guide to Common Insects, Spiders, and More
Daniels, Jaret C.
Paperback
Wild Bee Handbook: The Amazing Lives of Our Wild Species and How to Help Them Thrive
Wyndham Lewis, Sarah
Hardcover
Our Native Bees: North America's Endangered Pollinators and the Fight to Save Them
Embry, Paige
Hardcover
Heart of the Hive: Inside the Mind of the Honey Bee and the Incredible Life Force of the Colony
Kearney, Hilary
Hardcover
Garden Bugs & Insects of the South & Southeast: Identify Pollinators, Pests, and Other Garden Visitors
Daniels, Jaret C.
Paperback
Never Home Alone: From Microbes to Millipedes, Camel Crickets, and Honeybees, the Natural History of Where We Live
Dunn, Rob
Paperback
National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Insects and Spiders & Related Species of North America
Evans, Arthur V.
Paperback
Spiders in Your Neighborhood: A Field Guide to Your Local Spider Friends, Revised and Expanded
Stadille, Patrick
Paperback
Insects & Bugs of North America: Your Way to Easily Identify Insects & Bugs
Daniels, Jaret C.
Paperback
Bringing Butterflies Home: Gardening with Native Plants to Heal Our Yards and Ourselves
White Olsen, Elizabeth
Paperback
Piping Hot Bees and Boisterous Buzz-Runners: 20 Mysteries of Honey Bee Behavior Solved
Seeley, Thomas D.
Paperback
National Geographic Pocket Guide to Insects of North America: From Your Favorite Field Guide Experts
Evans, Arthur V.
Paperback
Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs - Second Edition
Shetlar, David
Cranshaw, Whitney
Paperback
Butterflies of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia: A Field Guide
Legrand Jr, Harry E.
Pippen, Jeffrey S.
Carter Jr, Derb
Paperback
The Lives of Bees: A Natural History of Our Planet's Bee Life
Grozinger, Christina
Patch, Harland
Hardcover
Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect That Shaped the American Frontier
Lockwood, Jeffrey A.
Paperback
The Wonder Cabinet of Fabulous Insects: Secrets of the World's Rarest and Strangest Insects
Richard, Denis
Maquart, Pierre-Olivier
Hardcover