Flight Identification of European Passerines and Select Landbirds: An Illustrated and Photographic Guide Tomasz Cofta This guide is a marvellous book for both beginners and 'experts' and a complete bargain. ---Erica McAlister, Bulletin of the Amateur Entomological Society If you have an allotment or grow your own at home, chances are you will be providing lots of flowers for pollinators. Fruit tree blossom, fruit bushes, tomatoes, beans, courgettes and pumpkins all attract bees and other pollinating insects. Grow plenty of herbs too and let some of these flower. Try growing annual marigolds, phacelia and poppiesaround the edge of the kitchen garden to encourage insects such as hoverflies. Many hoverflies are beneficial as their larvae prey on aphids, which are common pests on many fruit and vegetables. Britain hosts a diversity of freshwater environments, from torrential hill streams and lowland rivers to lakes and reservoirs, ponds and canals, and ditches and estuaries. Britain's Freshwater Fishes covers more than 50 species of...

A game-changer of a book, a truly significant contribution to the study of our insects . . . . Anyone interested in insects will find Britain's Insects of value. ---Dr S G Compton, Biologist And then there is the issue of urban spread. Housing schemes continue to encroach on our woods and heaths so that streets and buildings generate light pollution that leads nocturnal insects astray and interrupts their mating. “That is the reason we see most changes to insect life in south-east England, for that is where we see the greatest spread of cities and towns,” said Leather.Wild Guides have come out with another gem. This time, there are 1,653 insects for you to enjoy with 1,476 illustrated in full colour. lt covers dragonflies, butterflies, moths, bees, beetles and wasps with everything in between. . . . There is even a section on helping you take photos of the species found, hoping that you will be able to match the incredible photos in this book."—John Miles, Birdwatching Magazine

Leave some fallen fruit in the autumn to be eaten by overwintering migrant birds, such as redwings and fieldfares. Dead wood & compost heaps An] engaging and must-have book. It really is one of those books th.at every time you dip in you feel as though you have learned something quite special."— Lapwing Magazine More than 2,500 moth species have been recorded in Great Britain, of which around 900 are called larger moths. In the report The State of Britain’s Larger Moths 2013, it was revealed that larger moths had declined by 28% between 1968 and 2007. This was most noticeable in southern Britain where there was a 40% decline. By contrast, numbers showed no significant change in northern Britain, where disappearing species are balanced by moths spreading north because of climate change. Bees This, the latest in the WILDGuides series, is a masterful exercise in clarity, clear design and will get you to the right identification of the species you are looking at. . . . A great achievement."—Mark Avery, Mark Avery blog Clements, D.K. & Skidmore, P. (1998). The autecology of the Hornet Robberfly Asilus crabroniformis L. in Wales, 1997. Countryside Council for Wales Contract Science Report No. 263. Bangor.

Bees, wasps and ants (Hymenoptera)

It certainly is a very useful tool, and it has an excellent index. . . . All things to all people; it is crammed with snippets of information: life cycles, descriptions, maps, definitions, status, distribution, seasonality, habitat, food plants, behaviour, etc. ---Mike Smith, Phasmid Study Group A major study this month by the charity Butterfly Conservation showed that the numbers of large moths in Britain have fallen by a third in the last 50 years due to factors including habitat loss, light pollution and climate change. Some species have declined by as much as 80 per cent, prompting the charity to warn that the diminution poses a wider risk to British wildlife with moths acting as important pollinators, in particular for species such as orchids, as well as a food source. There is now a lot of correlational evidence to show that when certain insects do badly, very often the birds that feed on them get into trouble as well,” said David Gibbon, of the RSPB. The fact that insect biomass has been declining at a steady rate for almost three decades strongly suggests some profound influences must be at work. Most entomologists believe habitat change lies at the heart of the problem. “There have been massive alterations to the way we use the land and it is hard not to believe these are closely involved in what we are seeing,” said Leather. Craig Macadam, conservation director at insect protection group Buglife, said factors such as improved air and water quality are likely to have had a significant beneficial effect.

A most wonderful book and must surely help to raise awareness towards protecting this precious insect biodiversity."— Bees for DevelopmentA single stink bug, named after the pungent almond-like odour it emits as a defence mechanism, was found in the museum’s wildlife garden in Kensington last August as part of a study to discover whether the insect, long predicted to arrive in Britain, had finally established itself. A masterpiece field guide ‘tome’. . . . A ‘must have’ for everyone with a general interest in insects and I’m sure it will sneak into the libraries of quite a few seasoned experts too!"—Jim Almond, Shropshire Birder blog This is a delightful if demanding book, a major work in fact. . . . Britain's Insects will surely become an essential and everyday guide for entomologists, naturalists, gardeners, wildlife photographers and anyone else interested in insects, whatever their level of knowledge. Britain's Insects upholds the superb presentation and finish we have come to expect from the WildGuides series."—Phil Slade, Another Bird Blog

Many of Britain’s native species of ladybirds are suffering serious declines in numbers, thanks to the arrival of the harlequin ladybird. It has been declared the UK’s fastest invading species, after reaching almost every corner of the country in just a decade. It preys on native ladybirds and is believed to have caused the decline of at least seven species, including the popular two-spot ladybird, which – when last assessed in 2012 – had slumped by 44% in numbers. Moths Just an amazing book. . . . The most amazing, and probably best, photographic guide there is to Britain’s insects."—Kate MacRae, Wildlife Kate Covering more than 900 species, and illustrated with 4,700 photographs, Europe’s Birds is the most comprehensive, authoritative and ambitious single-volume photographic guide to Europe’s birds ever produced. Easy-to-use, practical...

Stag beetles are probably one of the most famous beetles in the world, known for their fierce looking pincers, dark wing-cases and long legs. You’ve probably seen stag beetles on TV or maybe at a zoo or animal park and they get their name from their distinctive, antler-like mandibles. In Japan, these beetles are often popular pets and can be found in pet shops and even department stores! It might surprise you to learn, then, that these impressive beetles are actually a native UK species. Often seen flying around at dusk in the summer months as they search for a mate, these giant insects prefer warmer temperatures and low rainfall so are most common in the south, but can be found all over the country. Of course, squashing bugs with your car isn’t a good thing, but this realisation - called The Windscreen Phenomenon (and, yes, that’s what entomologists call it) - is just one small indicator that Britain’s bugs are in trouble. In the UK, insects are currently struggling to survive (as are lots of animals, plants and birds) against increased urbanisation, use of stronger pesticides in farms and gardens and the ongoing effects of climate change. The State of Nature Report suggested a 59% decline in insects in the UK since the 70s, but how many of us noticed, and how many of us cared?