Is that butterfly outside your window a Monarch or a Giant Swallowtail? What's the best kind of feeder for attracting birds to your backyard? This pocket-size, brilliantly colorful, simple-to-use guide is an ideal introduction to the birds of the Eastern United States. It contains dozens of full-color photographs that enable readers of all ages to identify the most common species; range maps; tips on attracting and observing birds; information on habitat needs, life cycle, food preferences; and much more. Special features include:Coverage of 100 speicesUnique organization by birds' plumage colorsUser-friendly color tab index for quick referenceBrilliant full-color photographs of each species, plus separate images of male and female when plumage differsUseful tips for attracting birdsInformation on voice, habitat, nest, eggs, incubation time, population trends, behavior, birdhouse and feeder preferences, and much more

    You know the fishes and can identify the reef critters, but what about the animals that actually form a coral reef? This work features 530 photographs of living specimens and scientific classifications that help identify virtually each species of stony coral, gorgonian, fire coral and black coral inhabiting the tropical western Atlantic.

    Detailed species descriptions are combined with concise drawings and color photographs to make plant identification easy.

    With all this, Kenya and northern Tanzania are the ultimate destination for safaris, adventure travel, and ecotourism. They also form one of the world's most spectacular regions for birdwatching, with a variety of species unmatched almost anywhere else--from the tiny Amani Sunbird to the eight-foot-tall Somali Ostrich, from the elegant flamingos of the Rift Valley lakes to carcass-eating vultures and snake-hunting eagles. This book is the definitive field guide for the thousands of birdwatchers and travelers who visit this breathtaking area every year. The guide features 124 color plates, depicting all 1,114 species in the area, including variations by subspecies, age, and sex. It contains over 800 range maps and succinct text that covers identification, voice, and distribution. Specially designed for use in the field, it is a compact version of the widely acclaimed Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania, hailed on its publication in 1996 as the most comprehensive, accurate, and beautiful guide ever produced for the region. With its modest price, small trim size and sturdy, weather-resistant binding, this field guide is the one volume that every adventurous traveler to Kenya and northern Tanzania must have.

    With the gentle wit and remarkable precision that have made her previous illustrated nature studies so popular, Koch offers a remarkable perspective on the animal kingdom...in miniature. The often invisible world of insect life, thrumming beneath our feet and high above our heads, is revealed here as to an outsider visiting a private, secret land. Weaving instructive text about metamorphosis, locomotion, pollination, camouflage and migration with lyrical selections of poetry and prose from William Shakespeare, Tennyson and others, Dragonfly Beetle Butterfly Bee informs as it entertains. Maryjo Koch trains her naturalist eye and artistic sensibility on the leaping bounds of the hot-footed Wolf Spider, the file-like music of the grasshopper's mating song, the sugar-sensitive feet of the Red Admiral Butterfly and the scuba-diving plunges of the fierce Diving Beetle after its prey. An exquisite art book as well as a treasure trove of facts and amusing observations, this luscious volume is perfect for art lovers, naturalists, teachers, children and everyone fascinated by the intriguing and varied world of insects.

    This innovative field guide includes descriptions and photos of all life stages, range maps for all species and illustrated keys that help identify eggs, hatchlings, tadpoles or larvae, juveniles and adults.

    You'll find: * All the identification information on a single page-color photographs, range map, and detailed description. No more fumbling to match photos with text! * For fast reference-a compact alphabetical index inside the front and back covers. * More than 900 high-resolution color identification photographs. * An illustrated Quick Guide to the most common backyard and feeder birds. * Convenient colored tabs keyed to each bird group. * Concise and comprehensive text, with information on habitat; plumage variation; feeding, nesting, and mating behavior; bird feeder proclivity; and-for the first time in any guide-population trends and conservation status.

    Here in Texas, the presence of these unique mollusks ensures our water quality, helps support the worldwide pearl industry, and, in a quirk of history, influenced the founding of San Angelo. Yet their continued survival is by no means certain, due to overharvesting, environmental degradation, and the rapid spread of exotic mussel species.To help professional biologists and amateur naturalists know and preserve these mollusks, this book provides baseline reference material for all 52 species of freshwater mussels in Texas. It focuses particularly on the unionids, with brief descriptions of other freshwater bivalves. A typical entry includes the following information:Scientific and common names Distribution (with a range map) Size / Shell / Shell teeth External color / Internal color Soft tissues / Habitat / Spawning Glochidia / Hosts Economic importance Comments Color photos illustrate each species. In addition to the descriptions, the authors offer general discussions of freshwater mussel anatomy, biology, ecology, and commercial uses.

    It is divided into four forms of classification: drawings of 'perfect' tracks matched with photographs of the same tracks in sand or mud; color illustrations depicting scats of 128 species of mammals--with a distribution maps and habitat information--along with pellets and scats of birds, reptiles and invertebrates; detailed descriptions and over 70 color photographs of the distinctive traces of mammals at shelters and feeding sites; and 40 full page plates of skulls, lower jaws, humeri and femurs covering the more commonly found species, plus a detailed guide covering all mammal groups. Naturalists are becoming increasingly aware of the value of the indirect methods of finding and identifying mammals. This handbook of detection will be an essential companion to be kept in the pocket, backpack or car for constant ready reference.

    Well-established as an invaluable resource for visitors to parks and reserves, hikers, hunters, farmers and outdoor enthusiasts, this classic guide has now been thoroughly updated and revised, has a fresh, lively design, and is packed with new and engrossing detail.

    The text gives detailed descriptions of the summer, winter, and juvenile plumages of each species, as well as comparisons with similar species. The species accounts are illustrated with range maps and superb line drawings showing behavioral postures and, where useful, fine features of tail feather patterns. The 27 color plates splendidly illustrate the various plumages of each species with the emphasis on the distinctive appearance of birds of different sex, age, and geographic regions. This beautiful and authoritative book will be a must for the library of all keen birders living in and visiting North America.Species accounts include discussions of species?IdentificationMeasurementsVoiceHabitatEcologyNesting biologyDistributionTaxonomyGeographic variationsHistorical and present status

    John and Gloria Tveten have been studying butterflies in Southeast Texas for thirty-five years, and here they offer their considerable knowledge to everyone who shares their passion for butterflies.In this easy-to-use field guide, the Tvetens describe and illustrate more than 100 species of butterflies that live in Southeast Texas and can often be found across the state. Striking color photographs of living butterflies and caterpillars (a unique addition) show the key marks and characteristics necessary for field identification. The Tvetens' enjoyable and authoritative text describes each species' life history, habits, flight patterns, and characteristic markings.An account of the different butterfly families, from swallowtails to longwings to skippers, precedes the descriptions of the species within each family. The Tvetens also include an interesting discussion of butterfly biology, a complete checklist of area butterflies, an index of butterfly-attracting plants, and pointers to other butterfly resources.This field guide is the first to focus exclusively on Southeast Texas butterflies. It will be the essential reference for everyone seeking a reliable way to identify these butterflies, from field observers to apartment dwellers who wonder what is fluttering around the pot plants on the balcony.

    Children learn to identify a variety of different plant, animal and insect species.-- Helps children identify different species.-- Includes scrapbook pages, for notes or drawings.-- Features detailed true-to-life illustrations.

    -- Details a wide range of characteristics and behaviors.-- Offers identification expertise.

    

    Large, active, and colourful, tiger beetles are as watchable as birds, and easily as fascinating. Well-loved naturalist John Acorn offers a fun and fascinating look at some of Alberta's smaller citizens.