Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs [Paperback]

Here's a sobering statistic: there are more than 100,000 species of insects and related garden pests in North America, and to gardeners it must often seem that the vast majority of them are eating, crawling, and flitting their way through treasured plants and flowers. Knowing what's doing the damage is more than half the battle in winning the pest-control war, and to that end Cranshaw has developed an impressive, encyclopedic guide to identifying everything from acorn weevils to zebra caterpillars. Understanding the way gardeners think, Cranshaw has logically organized the information according to the type of damage inflicted. The chapter on leaf chewers, for example, lists more than three-dozen likely insect culprits. Insect groups are then further characterized by host plant, range, appearance, and habits to precisely pinpoint the offending pest. Methods of controlling insect populations, in-depth discussions of beneficial insects, a comprehensive at-a-glance appendix of common plant-insect associations, and more than 1,400 color photos make this a marvel among insect identification manuals. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

An impressive, encyclopedic guide to identifying everything from acorn weevils to zebra caterpillars. Understanding the way gardeners think, Cranshaw has logically organized the information according to the type of damage inflicted. . . . Methods of controlling insect populations, in-depth discussions of beneficial insects, a comprehensive at-a-glance appendix of common plant-insect associations, and more than 1,400 color photos make this a marvel among insect identification manuals. -- "Booklist

Know thine enemy,' a time-worn caveat lifted from Sun-tzu's treatise, The Art of War, is sage advice for the organic gardener hoping to emerge victorious in the battle of the bugs. Acquiring such knowledge has just become easier with the release of Garden Insects of North America. . . . [Cranshaw] has packed his book with concise, organized information on all the common and not-so-common insect pests of turf, orchards and gardens in North America. The overwhelming emphasis is on recognizing and categorizing the insects themselves, using appearance, type of destructive damage encountered and target food hosts as clues. . . . With detailed, high-quality photographic plates conveniently adjacent to the standardized insect descriptions, identification of suspected insect enemies is straightforward. -- Jack Aldridge, San Francisco Chronicle

An exceptionally well organized and complete text on garden insects. . . . Almost every insect is illustrated, with well over 1,000 full-color photographs showing them in various life cycle stages. Its very simple but complete explanations, diagrams and photographs make this the best reference I have read for diagnosing virtually all insect problems. It will make you the neighborhood entomologist. -- Joel M. Lerner, The Washington Post

If you've ever wondered what's eating your garden besides yourself and the woodchuck, this is the book for you. I know that sometime this summer I will carry a bug of some sort into the house to identify it in this volume. And I know that I'll lose at least an hour looking at photographs of all the other bugs that might lie hidden in the herbage. -- Verlyn Klinkenborg, New York Times Book Review

[Cranshaw is] an entomologist with perhaps a skewed affection for all kinds of bugs, but no one will argue with his desire to demystify insects and their world so that people understand better whether and how to react to a problem, and to enjoy this Lilliputian drama. -- Adrian Higgins, The Washington Post

An impressive garden reference that doubles as a field guide. Wherever you live in North America, your insects are included her. . . . The more than 1,400 color pictures of insects and their damage are truly impressive and will be invaluable in helping readers track down the culprits of their plant injury. . . . This wonderful reference will certainly become a classic. . . . Whether you are a professional or a home gardening enthusiast, this is an indispensable reference. -- Jeffrey Hahn, The American Gardener

Garden Insects is destined to become the new bible for horticulturalists and home gardeners alike. I've added it to the few books I keep close at hand while I am in the garden. Luckily, Garden Insects is also an exceptionally well-made paperback with water-resistant cover and 656 pages that fall open without cracking the spine and stay open without having to balance a rock on top. At $29.95, it's a bargain. -- Patricia Jonas, Plants and Garden News

Insects are the most diverse and widely distributed life-forms on the planet. Gardens, and the diverse gardeners that tend them, are similarly widely distributed. Succinctly capturing this diversity, Cranshaw has constructed a lucid and well-illustrated text to allow gardeners to identify insects they encounter. . . . Breadth of synthesis, high quality, and effective formatting justify this work as a valuable addition to the popular literature. -- "Choice

A must-have reference for any gardener. -- "San Francisco Chronicle

Cranshaw has produced a wonderful guide whether the reader is interested in understanding, managing, or just observing theses insects. Identification is the very first step in the process of opening the door of appreciation, and this book is the key. -- "Biology Digest