A Dazzle of Dragonflies
Forrest L. Mitchell and James L.
Lasswell
Texas A&M University Press
College Station, Texas
2005, 224 pp.
Price: $39.95 cloth
ISBN 1-58544-459-6
Dragonflies
have joined birds and butterflies as subjects of interest to nature
observers armed with binoculars. This interest has resulted in the
publication of a plethora of guides for identifying dragonflies and
damselflies in the field (e.g., Dunkle 2000, Nikula et al. 2002, Manolis
2003, Mead 2003, Biggs 2004, Lam 2004, and DuBois 2005,). The diversity
of dragonfly field guides is worthy of note because modern technical
manuals for identifying Odonata taxa have only appeared in the past 10
years (Westfall and May 1996, Needham et al. 2000).
Dragonfly enthusiasts who are
interested in expanding their knowledge soon discover that there are
fewer choices when it comes to books on Odonata biology and behavior.
The magnum opus by the dean of odonatologists, Philip Corbet (1999), is
an encyclopedic guide to what is and is not known about dragonfly
natural history and ecology, but it is heavy reading for nonspecialists.
The late Peter Miller’s wonderful little book (1995) would fill the
bill, but it is not as well known or widely available in North America
as it is in England. Dragonfly enthusiasts have thus been left to
surfing the Internet for information.
Many find their way to
Mitchell and Lasswell’s award-winning web site, Digital Dragonflies (www.dragonflies.org).
The site contains wonderfully detailed close-up digital portraits made
by scanning living dragonflies at high resolution on a flatbed scanner,
a technique the two authors perfected. The images attracted much
attention, and the authors note in the introductory chapter of A
Dazzle of Dragonflies that they answered many questions about
dragonflies in response to e-mail enquiries from their web site. This
book was inspired by the interest shown in the web site; it is
generously illustrated with dazzling color scans and photographs that
bring these photogenic insects to life on the page.
A Dazzle of
Dragonflies is fascinating and useful not only
to novices, but to experienced students of the Odonata as well. After a
brief introduction (Chapter1: The World of Dragonflies), the authors
launch into an extensive review of dragonflies in the folklore of many
cultures, including Native Americans, Europeans, Japanese, Chinese, and
Filipinos (Chapter 2: Dragonfly Tales). The authors cover the fossil
history of dragonflies (and their Carboniferous precursors, the
Protodonata) in a concise but accurate and current account in Chapter3:
The Prehistory of Dragonflies. Chapters 4 (Dragonfly Lives) and 5 (The
Natural History of Dragonflies) provide an overview of odonate biology
and life history that is supplemented in Chapter 6 (Watching
Dragonflies) with information on behavioral features that are
characteristic of different taxonomic groups.
For readers who wish to actively
pursue dragonfly study or conservation, the authors provide detailed
information on “Collecting Dragonflies” (Chapter7 , and Appendix C: “The
Dragonfly Society of the America’s Collecting Statement”),”Water
Gardening for Dragonflies” (Chapter 8), and “Picturing Dragonflies”
(dragonfly photography and imaging, Chapter 9). Dragonfly students who
travel will find Appendix B (“Colloquial Names of Dragonflies”) useful.
It is refreshing to see
information on responsible collecting covered in this book; often field
guides give the impression that only binoculars are needed to study
dragonflies. Some species certainly can be identified in the field by
using binoculars, but several genera of Odonata in North America can be
difficult to separate to species even in hand. Also, as specimens of
widespread taxa are gathered from poorly collected geographic regions,
new species are still being described in North America (Cook and
Laudermilk 2004).
A brief but well selected list
of references and a detailed Index top off this beautifully illustrated,
useful, and educational volume. I recommend this book for Odonata
specialists, nature enthusiasts with an interest in dragonflies,
entomologists involved in extension work or in cultural entomology,
photographers interested in digital imaging of insects, and anyone who
appreciates those dazzling dragonflies.
References
Cited
Biggs, K. 2004. Common dragonflies of the
Southwest. Azalea Creek Publishing, Sebastopol, CA.
Cook, C., and E. L. Laudermilk. 2004.
Stylogomphus sigmastylus sp. nov., a new North American dragonfly
previously confused with S. albistylus (Odonata: Gomphidae). Int.
J. Odonatol. 7: 3–24.
Corbett, P. S. 1999. Dragonflies: Behavior and
ecology of Odonata. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY.
DuBois, B. 2005. Damselflies of the North
Woods. Kolath-Stensaas Publishing, Duluth, MN.
Dunkle, S. W. 2000. Dragonflies through
binoculars: A field guide to dragonflies of North America. Oxford
University Press, New York.
Lam, E. 2004. Damselflies of the Northeast.
Biodiversity Books, Forest Hills, NY.
Manolis, T. 2003. Dragonflies and damselflies
of California. University of California Press, Berkeley.
Mead, K. 2003. Dragonflies of the North Woods.
Kolath-Stensaas Publishing, Duluth, MN.
Miller, P. L. 1995. Dragonflies (2nd ed.).
Richmond Publishing, Slough, UK.
Needham, J. G., M. J. Westfall, Jr., and M. L. May. 2000.
Dragonflies of North America. Scientific Publishers, Gainesville, FL.
Nikula, B., J. Sones, D. Stokes, and L. Stokes. 2002.
Beginner’s guide to dragonflies. Little, Brown, Boston.
Westfall, M. J., Jr., and M. L. May. 1996.
Damselflies of North America. Scientific Publishers, Gainesville, FL.
Roy J. Beckemeyer
Johnston Geology Museum
Emporia State University
Emporia, KS 66801-5087
E-mail: royb@southwind.net
American Entomologist
Vol. 52, No.4, Winter 2006 |
