Customer Reviews

Common Dragonflies of California

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We have a pond in our yard, and this book has given us the opportunity to identify those beautiful visitors that we have been looking at! The pictures are clear, and the descriptions are very helpful when it comes to looking for markings that help distinguish between two similar species. There is a handy glossary at the back where one can find the meanings of any technical words. This is a put-it-in-your-pocket-when-you-go-hiking kind of book. It is presented at a level that is clear for adults or those budding naturalists you might have running around....

So happy to have it in my natural history collection!

As a beginner in the study of these fascinating and beautiful creatures, I found this book clear, concise, and easy to understand and use. The text is simple and complete, and the illustrations are excellent. The small size of the volume makes it fit easily into your pocket for quick reference. Anyone interested in dragonflies will find the book an absolute MUST!

This is really nice field guide to have. The photographs are great. Each entry is succint and includes one or two photographs together with a bold line the length of the dragonfly and printed in one of the dominant colors of the dragonfly. There is a checklist in the back so that you can keep track of what you see, and the introductory information in the front of the book is well-written. Though I bought this book for myself, I think that it also would make a great field guide for a child since the book is small, easy to use, and the photos are clear and attractive. It is well worth the price.

An awesome book! Easy to use with great photos. You'll never view dragonflies the same again.

At this price point it makes for an awesome gift...especially for all those kids you're trying to get turned on to nature instead of video games. After all - let's face it - dragonflies are way cooler than birding and all that other boring "outdoorsie" kinda stuff! (well at least according to kids who think birding is boring)

I highly recommend it. Now if we can just get her to do guides for some of the other states.....

I thought it would be tough to ID Dragonflies but with this book it has been suprisingly easy. Now if they would just hold still for the binculars!

Common Dragonflies of California is an uncommon book. Full of sound advice and chock full of excellent color photos, this book will be of great interest to any California nature lover. I am the kind of person who loves to know the name of every tree, shrub, flower, reptile, bird and fish that I see. Now that I have this little jewel, I'm going to learn how to identify the dragonflies too. The more we learn about nature, the more enjoyment we get from it. I highly recommend this fine book! I expect it would make a great present too, for the right person. Tom Ogren, author of Allergy-Free Gardening

Ordered this book for a Daughter who is interested in all animals. The Book arrived promptly, in pristine shape, and she is delighted.

I love to photograph insects, and obviously dragonflies and damselflies are common subjects. Identifying them, however, was often a problem. Using this beautifully illustrated book has been a big help in this regard. Obviously, there's more there too, but this contains more species than most and the compact size appeals as well.

I have used the book constantly for the past six months. It's a good reference especially since Kathy Biggs lives locally (one of the photographers, Chris Healvilin, and I have met several times at the same pond), and that is the best thing about the book insofar as most of the dragonflies are "commoner" to us Northern Californians. It's odd that dragonflies and damselfies can often be found in very small locations.

For example, Dennis Paulson's "Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West" is a bit of a waste if you're never going to leave California. "The West" it turns out is 85 percent outside of California. In fact, much of the territory covered would be from Texas to the Mississippi.

I've just ordered the newer edition of Kathy's book because it's still the quickest and best reference for novices like me. I'm very much at the red, blue, black, and bronze stage of classification.

The book is 4½ x 5½ inches, a bit large for the average pocket. I'm sure this was done to allow for larger photographs which can be used for identification. However, since my pond hopping is done within walking distance of my home, and I don't have a camera bag, I don't usually use it until I come home and download my photos. However, that's not all that bad: I can't see the nuances between a Flame Skimmer and Cardinal in the field (or muck if you prefer) the way these pros can.

One last point in favor of the book is that damselflies are covered in the book even though they're not in the title. The reason has been explained to me, but reiterating would make this a much longer review when what I really want to reiterate is that this is the best novice guide to damselflies and dragonflies of California.

Kathy Biggs is an enthusiast whose energy, initiative, and infectious spirit have been a catalyst for dragonfly observation and study in the West, and especially in California. The first edition of this booklet, published in 2000, was the first field guide ever to cover in any detail the common dragonflies and damselflies of the state. And this revised, updated, and enlarged edition remains the handiest available summary of California's "odofauna" and an essential introduction for beginners. It illustrates and describes more than 90 of the state's dragonflies and damselflies, the superb color photos by Ray Bruun and others being the most visible improvement over the first edition. Anybody with a nascent interest in western dragonflies should have a copy of this book - and old hands should buy several to hand out to the birders and butterfly fanciers among their friends, as a nudge toward dragonfly appreciation.