11 Products

Every autumn, the magnificent, bright-orange monarch butterfly migrates south from Canada to the warmer climes of Mexico and southern California. Driving a battered Honda Civic, Robert Pyle followed them on their epic 9,000-mile journey. Part road trip, part outdoor adventure and part natural history, his account overturns received theories about the butterflies’ biology, genetics and populations, and warns of the environmental threats they face from pesticides, logging and coastal development.

Beginning with a very accessible introduction to butterflies’ life cycle, behaviour, ecology and conservation, this guide contains descriptions and colour photographs of 158 species found in the British Isles and northern Europe. Notes on distribution, habitat and habits are included in the descriptions and there are generally two or three photographs (taken by Professor Benton) of each species.

Presented in a sturdy, drawer-type box, these large postcards (160x115mm) feature 30 different designs based on illustrations in the RHS Lindley Library. While most of the postcards depict two or more peonies in shades of white, pink and red and a variety of butterflies, a few have an all-over design of smaller flowers and butterflies.

People have long marvelled at the patterns on the wings of butterflies and moths without understanding them. This remarkable book shows how they have evolved to deter predators and how, seen from the perspective of a bird or lizard, they appear to be the eyes of a fox or owl, a snake’s head, or the tail of a scorpion. Illustrated with close-up photographs and works of art, the book also explores the way these symbols have influenced human culture.

Once common in the Kentish marshes, the English short-haired bumblebee became extinct in the UK. Conservationist Dave Goulson tracked down a surviving colony in New Zealand and set about reintroducing them. His informative and entertaining account of his quest details the minutiae of life in the nest, and offers a stark warning about the effects of intensive farming on our bee population and the dangers we face if we continue down this path.

Like its companion volumes, Flora Britannica and Birds Britannica, this is a richly illustrated cultural, rather than biological guide. Here, British bugs are seen through the eyes of writers, musicians, artists, photographers and naturalists, from Elizabethan proto-entomologist Thomas Muffet (father of Little Miss Muffet) to Irvine Welsh's talking tapeworm in Filth. The result is a beguiling look at some of our 40,000 species of invertebrates – from amoebas, through worms, ants and earwigs, butterflies and beetles to molluscs – and the eccentricities of some human bug obsessives.

In this easy-to-use identification guide, Robert Read describes 280 species of insect commonly seen in the British Isles and northern Europe, with information on the seasons, habitat, habits and status and a colour photograph of each species. The book includes a colourful wall poster and has a tough plastic jacket, making it ideal for use in the field.