BOOK REVIEWS
I write as one who came to natural history late in life. I started birdwatching in 1988 and only recently started to try to learn about flowers, insects and conservation in general. This was partly due to being asked to make a note of the butterflies I saw whilst doing the Lancs breeding bird survey. After a great deal of investigation, the following books have proved to be most helpful to me:-
1. The Collins Pocket Guide. Insects of Britain and Western Europe. Michael Chinery. ISBN no 0-00-219137-7. First edition 1986, reprinted 1998
There are lots of illustrations as well as information on life cycles, anatomy, insect orders as well as arachnids and other arthropods. It contains both butterflies and dragonflies, which saves on the number of field guides you need to carry on your walks. For someone like myself who does some pond dipping in the summer, I was glad to have the section on aquatic nymphs and larvae. An excellent book for a beginner like me.
N.B. Do not confuse this book with a similar one "Collins Field Guide to Insects of Britain and Northern Europe". This is by the same author and at the same price but fortunately has a different ISBN number. The latter has few illustrations and is far from the "complete" guide claimed by the cover. It only has one plate with ten illustrations for all the dragonflies - hardly complete.
2. The Wild Flower Key. Francis Rose.
This again for me was an excellent book - the illustrations were all in the correct colours for one thing. I often find that guide books do not really give the correct colours, Lars Jonsson's Birds of Europe being a particular colour blind example. This is the problem with having worked at Leyland Paints doing colour matching! This volume also has an excellent general key, and also a key to plants not in flower, arranged in habitat section. There are seventeen of these including arable land, bogs, woodland, roadsides, heaths and moors. Definitely a book to be used in the field (or wood) rather than just to read at home.
3. Teach Yourself Conservation (popular science series)
This is a new book on conservation in general. This volume - although it does cover many areas such as conservation and world economy, people, resources and the natural environment - also touches on ecosystems, animals, plants and biodiversity and natural habitat. This helps the man in the street (me) to understand a lot more about the world around us here in Chorley. It also has a list of helpful web site in the appendix. The price is £7.99, so do as I did, and borrow it from the library, number 333.72 FOS. In fact all the foregoing books can be obtained either from the library, your local bookshop or website.
David Beattie