Dragonflies of the North Woods (North Woods Naturalist Guides)

Dragonflies of the North Woods (North Woods Naturalist Guides)
by Kurt Mead

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Book Summary Information

Author: Kurt Mead
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2003-08-25
ISBN: 0967379369
Number of pages: 214
Publisher: Kollath-Stensaas Publishing

Book Reviews of Dragonflies of the North Woods (North Woods Naturalist Guides)

Book Review: Eden is heavy with the flutter of an insect's sombre mating call.
Summary: 5 Stars

"David, get out there and find those dragonflies. Enjoy!"--signed by author/odonatologist Kurt Mead, B.S. (biology), BFA (art), in my copy of his 203 page, 2003 field guide, entitled "Dragonflies of the North Woods," which I bought because it covered my region of northern Ontario (as well as the northern areas of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin).

The definition of an insect, according to "The Audubon Society Field Guide of North American Insects and Spiders" by Lorus and Margery Milne (1980), is "...an invertebrate animal...a...Phylum Arthropoda....Class Insecta." Concerning the insect dragonfly (translated from the Romanian name "Devil's Fly"), Mead states in his book, "Dragonflies and damselflies are....odonata...'toothed ones,' a reference to the...toothy lower lip...used to capture and hold prey....'Odonata'...coined by...Fabricius in 1793." The two suborders of odes are Dragonflies, or Anisoptera--meaning different wings, and Damselflies, or Zygoptera--denoting wings that are identical (discussion of the latter just touched on near the end of this volume).

Kurt's anatomy lesson on his "'Winged Dragons'" is replete with diagrams (including colour photos), and the essential facts, i.e., that a dragonfly has 30,000 lenses in one of their compound eyes. Following this is information on mating, their life cycle and behaviour. Every facet of observation/netting/collecting/photographing them are outlined, too.

All 102 dragonfly species of the North Woods are meticulously investigated here in Mead's work--Darners, Clubtails, Spiketails, Cruisers, Emeralds and Skimmers, respectively--accompanied by their scientific nomenclature in italics, that's later indexed, as well. Size-bars illustrate the insect's precise length on each gloriously coloured photo, with distinguishing characteristics singled out by fieldmark arrows. And phenograms are juxtaposed to the bottom of each photo, instructing us what terrain and months that specific dragonfly can be found.

This volume features a useful glossary, followed by a seven part appendix, which includes a checklist for each family/specie, list of world synonyms for dragonflies, phenology flight chart, addresses of odonata websites and groups, recommended titles (like "Beginners Guide to Dragonflies" by Blair Nikula and Jackie Sones with Donald and Lillian Stokes, 2002; but no mention of "Damselflies of the Northeast" by Ed Lam, 2004) and lastly, advice on the appropriate binoculars to use for "'Dragonflying.'"

"Dragonflies of the North Woods" by Kurt Mead is irresistibly comprehensive, so visit your bookseller soon to get your copy, where Eden is heavy with the flutter of an insect's sombre mating call.

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Summary of Dragonflies of the North Woods (North Woods Naturalist Guides)

Part of the popular North Woods Naturalist Series, this award-winning field guide (NOBA, 2004) contains detailed information with an innovative format that makes field identification a snap! The guide will help you know what to look for and when, and it was developed exclusively for the regions surrounding the North Woods of the United States and Canada.

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