Insects + Spiders

I love butterflies. They are one of the easier insect species to see in a garden and are very beautiful to examine up close. Observers will quickly learn that being easy to see doesn't mean that a butterfly is always easy to identify. The Complete Field Guide To Butterflies Of Australia aims to help readers learn how to identify various species. The guide features all of the … [Read more...] about Book Review: The Complete Field Guide To Butterflies Of Australia

I love trying to identify the insects in my backyard, but it can be tricky. There are a lot of great entomology books available, but very few targeted at the complete newbie. A Naturalist's Guide To The Insects Of Australia is one of just two books available targeted at beginners. It's an identification guide that features 292 species of insect that are reasonably common in … [Read more...] about Book Review: A Naturalist’s Guide To The Insects Of Australia

Many people associate cockroaches with the pest species found in households and workspaces. This is understandable; cockroaches can carry disease and are associated with unhygienic conditions. When you look beyond the pest label, however, they are quite fascinating. There is a lot of variation among the Australian cockroaches; with some species having beautiful markings. … [Read more...] about Book Review: A Guide To The Cockroaches Of Australia

I never expected to become interested in mosquitoes. The ones I observed around central Geelong seemed dull compared to many other types of insects. This changed when I started following one of the co-authors, Dr Cameron Webb, on twitter. He frequently tweets about science communication, entomology and mosquitoes. I bought this book on a whim after Dr Webbs tweets had piqued my … [Read more...] about Book Review: A Guide To Mosquitoes Of Australia

Galls were one of the first things I noticed when I started to explore entomology. I'd see these strange lumps on either the leaves or stems of various plants. Kind naturalists informed me that these were 'galls,' but it was a struggle to find accessible information on them. This book filled part of that need. It's just 61 pages, so barely scratched the surface when it came … [Read more...] about Book Review: Life In A Gall