Britain’s Dragonflies is the only comprehensive photographic field guide to the damselflies and dragonflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Written by two of Britain’s foremost Dragonfly experts, this fully revised and updated fourth edition features hundreds of stunning images and identification charts covering all 57 resident, migrant and former breeding species, and six potential vagrants. The book focuses on the identification of both adults and larvae, highlighting the key features. Detailed species profiles provide concise information on identification, distribution, flight periods, behaviour, habitat, status and conservation. Other sections cover biology; how to watch, photograph, record and monitor Dragonflies; conservation status and legislation; and introduced exotic species.
This redesigned, updated and expanded edition features:
- Beautiful colour plates showing males, females, immatures and all colour forms for every species
- Over 500 stunning photographs, many of which are new, and more than 550 illustrations
- Up-to-date species profiles and distribution maps
- Detailed, easy-to-use identification charts for adults and larvae
Dave Smallshire is an ecologist, lecturer and wildlife tour guide, and plays an active role in the British Dragonfly Society. He formerly worked as an environmental adviser to the UK government. Andy Swash is an ecologist, a renowned wildlife photographer and tour leader and managing director of WILDGuides. He is the coauthor of five other books in the WILDGuides Britain’s Wildlife series, and has written and edited many other titles.
"A brilliant book collection . . . each volume is a colourful, fact-filled introduction to the animals, insects, plants and habitats that makes watching wildlife so fascinating."—Stuart Winter, Sunday Express
"A MUST have for anyone with a casual interest or the serious observer in (odonata) dragonflies and damselflies, the new edition of a definitive guide is packed with fully revised up-to-date information. . . . The most beautiful and comprehensive guide currently available."—Christopher Heaton, Towpath Talk
"The authors and the BDS are to be congratulated on producing a first-rate, full colour, field identification guide to British Dragonflies."—John Badmin, British Journal of Entomology
"If there is a better book on the market covering dragonfly and damselfly identification I have yet to see it."—Eric Brown, News Shopper
"Where this book really comes into its own are the crisp colour photographs of each species showing both the male and female in excellent detail. . . . This is a fact-filled comprehensive book and will be invaluable for the beginner or expert alike and I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in our magical dragonflies and damselflies."—Neville Davies, Gwent Wildlife Trust
"Very informative, comprehensive and colourful . . . . The guide has an excellently simple key for dragonfly identification together with clear and well-illustrated species description pages."—Erica McAlister, Amateur Entomological Society
“This is the definitive, must-have guide to the dragonflies of Britain and Ireland … the most comprehensive field guide of its type.... Highly recommended.”—Mark Tyrrell, Dragonfly News
“[The] information is well presented and a subject that could easily daunt a budding odonatologist is in fact made entirely digestible. If you haven’t already got a copy, it’s well worth investing.”—Josh Jones, BirdGuides.com