Britain’s Hoverflies is a beautifully illustrated photographic field guide to the hoverflies of Britain, focusing on the species that can be most readily identified. It is the perfect companion for wildlife enthusiasts, professional ecologists and anyone else with an interest in this fascinating group of insects, and is designed to appeal to beginners and experts alike.
Accessible, authoritative and easy to use, this book contains hundreds of remarkable photographs of the various life stages of those species that can be identified by eye or with a magnifying glass, with coverage of at least one representative from each of the British genera. It also features an essential guide to the hoverfly tribes. Detailed species accounts summarize the species’ status, highlight the key identification features, provide notes on behaviour and habitat requirements and include flight-period charts and up-to-date distribution maps. Sections on hoverfly biology, where and when to look for hoverflies, legislation and conservation, photographing hoverflies, recording hoverflies and gardening for hoverflies are also included.
This fully revised and updated second edition:
- Features more than 650 stunning colour photographs
- Provides detailed information for the 167 species that can be most readily identified, including at least one species from each of the 68 genera recorded in Britain
- Includes a complete list of the 283 hoverfly species recorded in Britain to date, with an indication of how difficult each is to identify
Stuart Ball and Roger Morris have run the Hoverfly Recording Scheme since 1991. They are the authors of Provisional Atlas of British Hoverflies and active members of the Dipterists Forum, a society that promotes the study of flies.
"The WILDGuides are rapidly becoming the definitive format for UK Reid guides dealing with relatively small and focused groups of our fauna and flora. Their clear, concise and comprehensive format has set a new bar in the field guide arena. The second edition of Britain's Hoverflies is no exception, demonstrating the continuing evolution of this format. . . . The authors are to be congratulated on the production of an informative, attractive and extremely useful introductory glide to this popular group of insects. This is a must-have volume for any field biologist."—Peter Smithers, Antenna
"Praise for the previous edition: "Covering those species most likely to be seen means as an introduction this book will be a great starting point, the photographs are great at helping you achieve your identification goals and the short descriptive accompanying text will help even more if you need to compare other species.""—Ashley Boelens, Fat photographer
"Praise for the previous edition: "[W]onderfully informative. . . . [T]he book is billed on the front cover as An introduction to the Hoverflies of Britain. But it's rather better than a simple introduction—in fact it is quite complete, covering each of the 70 genera to occur in Britain and 165 of the commoner species that one is likely to find within our shores, giving the prospective reader more than enough material to go at and thus proving quite brilliant for the mere mortals of hoverfly identification such as me. . . . This particular group of insects has been crying out for a modern and comprehensive field guide of high quality for years, and finally it is here. Go and buy it—it's essential!""—Josh Jones, BirdGuides
"Praise for the previous edition: "The latest field guild from the excellent Wildguides. . . . Beautifully and clearly laid out.""—Charlie Moores, Talking Naturally
"Praise for the previous edition: "This is an excellent introduction to this attractive group of insects and should inspire many of its readers to investigate them further.""—N.P. Wyatt, Entomologist's Monthly Magazine
"Praise for the previous edition: "I have found these Wild Guides invaluable for ID-ing my insects. . . . This is an ideal gift for anyone who loves their wildlife, they will appreciate the stunning photos in this super detailed field guide.""—Gadget Girl Reviews
