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British Insects: A photographic guide to every common species (Collins Complete Guide) [Paperback]

Michael Chinery (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
RRP: £16.99
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Book Description

Publication Date: 2 April 2009 | ISBN-10: 0007298994 | ISBN-13: 978-0007298990

A photographic field guide to 1,500 species of insects found in Britain and Ireland

A photographic field guide to all the common and some unusual species of insects across Britain that the keen amateur naturalist is likely to spot. Over 1,500 species are illustrated with detailed photographs chosen for their help in identification.

• Includes photographs of larvae

• Each section is coded with a symbol for easy reference

• Differences between similar species are highlighted to avoid confusion

• Information given on when to look and where to find each species

Insect groups dealt with include butterflies and moths, mayflies, dragonflies, damselflies, grasshoppers, crickets, earwigs, lacewings, bugs, bees, wasps, ants and beetles, all with keys to ensure accurate identification.

Frequently Bought Together

British Insects: A photographic guide to every common species (Collins Complete Guide) + British Wild Flowers: A photographic guide to every common species (Collins Complete Guide) + British Trees: A photographic guide to every common species (Collins Complete Guide)
Price For All Three: £32.61

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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Collins (2 April 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0007298994
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007298990
  • Product Dimensions: 13.5 x 2.5 x 21 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 6,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

‘An excellent resource’
BBC Wildlife

‘The best starting point for any insect study’
Wildlife and Countryside

About the Author

Michael Chinery is a well-known naturalist and the author of numerous books on insects and garden wildlife, including ‘Collins Nature Guide Garden Wildlife’, ‘The Natural History of the Garden’ and ‘Collins Wildlife Trust Guide Butterflies of Britain and Europe’. For several years he ran field courses to introduce people of all ages to plant and animal life and now lives in Suffolk with his wife Jill.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Good general introduction with some reservations 26 July 2011
By Harry E. Clarke
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
To cover British insects in one volume compromises have to be made. Overall this book has got it about right, in that it provides a colour photograph of the insect, a brief description and miniature distribution map. Roughly 8 insects are covered on a page. The book covers every order of insects found within the British Isles. Hence, as a book to cover all insects it does a reasonable job.

However, there are some disappointments. Over half of the book (158 pages) is devoted to just one order Lepidopdtera (butterflies and moths), leaving just 134 pages for all other insects. This is a great shame, as Lepidopdtera are better covered by other books, and the other orders are poorly represented in print. There are approximately 2000 Lepidopdtera in the British Isles, but there are 4000 Beetles, 5200 True Flies, 1650 True Bugs, as well as representatives in other orders of insects.

Some of the photographs are substandard, making identification difficult, such as the pictures of bumblebees.

Presentation is a bit inconsistent. For example, the entry for the "RUBY-TAILED WASP Chrysis ignita" is followed by "CHRYSIS ANGUSTULA". Each entry should be in a consistent format. It would be better to present as Latin name - English name (if there is one), rather than present one entry with the English name in upper case and bold, and the next entry as the Latin name in upper case and bold.

References and useful addresses is not as comprehensive as it could be.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent intermediate identification guide for british insect 20 April 2012
By Chris
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A good step up from Collins Complete Guide - British Wildlife: A photographic guide to every common species for those with an interest in insects. This expanded volume covers more species with excellent quality photos.

The only real criticism is that the editors interest in Lepidoptera (Butterflies and moths) is clearly evident, with a large portion of the book given over to just this order. It would have been nice to have more examples of other kinds of insects!

Overall though, it's an excellent reference book for those wanting to quickly check an idea of the more common species.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars British Insects 7 Sep 2009
By Mr. John L. Roberts
Format:Paperback
As an allotment owner and a keen gardener, I inevitability come across many insects.
Having a curious mind it is satisfying, being able to identify individual species, and more important, to recognise which are the gardeners 'enemies' and which are our friends.
To this end, I have found the 'Collins Complete Guide To British Insects to be the perfect companion. It not only identifies many, many, species, but also give one an insight into the wonderful world of nature, and the constant struggle to survive.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Used Constantly
Bought this book for my husband who has progressed from birdwatching and wildlife to insects including moths and butterflies. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Cryspalitus
5.0 out of 5 stars Amateur naturaliste
A good all round book with excellent photographs making identification of a variety of insects relatively easy. recommended for any aspiring naturalist
Published 2 months ago by G W DAMANT
5.0 out of 5 stars A good reference guide and general read.
Contains great pictures for reference and a host of interesting information for finding and identifying insects. Makes a worthy addition to a set of the other Collins guides.
Published 2 months ago by Andy Rimmer
5.0 out of 5 stars Identifying insects
A most informative and well illustrated reference book, thrilled to bit with it! Despite living in Crete, a lot of our critters are similar, and this book enables me to ID very... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Carol Gladman
5.0 out of 5 stars British insects
Bought this book as it seemed to have a comprehensive coverage of our native butterflies and caterpillars which is what i have been after for a long time. Read more
Published 4 months ago by mrsquack
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Guide
I bought it as a present but thought it was a comprehensive and very full guide with wonderful pictures which really would help with identification.
Published 4 months ago by Janet Fernley
5.0 out of 5 stars Collins guide
A very useful guide to have avaiable either in the field or back home to check against notes made whil out and about.
Published 4 months ago by bug hunter
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Good standard reference book this but I wouldn't expect anything less from Collins , v good pictures and concise , tick vg
Published 5 months ago by gary hogg
4.0 out of 5 stars Collins Complete guide to British insects
Collins Complete guide to British insects is comprehensive with good photos. I particularly like the sections on caterpillars which are not always included in butterfly... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Brigg
5.0 out of 5 stars Collins Complete Guide - British Insects: A photographic guide to...
This is just the book we were looking for. An easy guide that enables us to identify our garden insects, easier than the Internet and illustrated books.
Published 9 months ago by Dianb
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