Ladybirds (Naturalists Handbook)

Ladybirds are among the most attractive and popular of British insects. Many species are common. They may be found in almost any habitat from sea coast to mountain top, and from city wastelands to windswept heathlands. Almost every garden will have at least one species.There are a number of reasons for the popularity of ladybirds. Firstly, many ladybirds have bright contrasting colour patterns, although not all are red with black spots. Some are black with red spots, others are yellow and black, or maroon with cream spots. Some have stripes instead of spots and some no spots at all. Secondly, ladybirds are connected with good fortune in many myths and legends. The name 'ladybird' is itself derived from the commonest British species, the 7 spot ladybird. The lady in question is Our Lady, the Virgin Mary. The red colour is said to represent her cloak which in early paintings and sculptures was usually depicted as being red, and the seven black spots represent the seven joys and seven sorrows of Mary. Finally, most ladybirds are carnivorous. Both adults and larvae feed on aphids, which suck sap and damage many crops and garden plants. So, ladybirds are of great importance as major natural predators ef these pests.Yet, despite their usefulness and popularity, much is still unknown about the distribution, behaviour and life histories of British ladybirds.This book aims to outline what is known about the British species, and to stress areas of scientific ignorance. We hope the book will encourage you to discover more for yourselves, particularly through your own research. This group offers great scope for original observations and experiments, and its potential in the biological control of plant pests makes new contributions to our knowledge of ladybirds even more worthwhile. I stock all the titles in this excellant ongoing series. 1.Insects on nettles 2.Grasshoppers 3.Solitary wasps 4.Insects and thistles 5.Hoverflies 6.Bumblebees 7.Dragonflies 8.Common Ground Beetles 9.Animals on seaweed 10.Ladybirds 11.Aphid predators 12.Animals on the surface 13.Mayflies 14.Mosquitoes 15.Insects, plants and microclimate 16.Weevils 17.Plant galls 18.Insects on cabbages and oilseed rape, 19.Pollution monitoring with lichens 20.Microscopic life in Sphagnum 21.Animals of sandy shores 22.Animals under logs and stones 23.Blowflies. 24.Ants 25.Thrips 26.Insects on Dock Plants 27.Insects on Cherry Trees 28.Studying Invertebrates

Author: Michael Majerus & Peter Kearns
Publisher: Richmond Publishing
Extra Details: Pictorial Card Covers 6 x 9 inches tall.Illustrated with Colour plates and B&W line drawings.