Dragonflies and Damselflies of California (California Natural History Guides) [Hardcover]

Timothy D. Manolis (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0520235665 | ISBN-13: 978-0520235663 | Publication Date: April 14, 2003 | Edition: 1

The Exclamation Damsel, Bison Snaketail, Powdered Dancer, Black Meadowhawk, and Sedge Sprite are just a few of the dragonflies and damselflies identified in this complete guide to California's abundant Odonates.
o Species accounts discuss identification in the field and in the hand, behavior, habitat associations, geographic distribution, and flight season
o Includes 40 vivid full-color plates and supplemental black-and-white drawings
o Provides a general overview of dragonfly anatomy, behavior, life history, and a complete set of range maps

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"A book that will both educate and delight anyone who wants to know more about these fascinating insects. Packed with facts but written in a straightforward style, the book makes California's 108 dragonfly and damselfly species easily accessible. . . . It will engender a renewed appreciation of the value of our wetlands."--Dennis Paulson, author of Dragonflies of Washington

"This is now the book on all the California Odonates and should ride in the pack of every naturalist, butterflier, and birder in the American west."--Rich Stallcup, Point Reyes Bird Observatory

From the Back Cover

"This attractive book, with its beautiful paintings and authoritative text, should be in the library of all Californians interested in nature." -Dennis Paulson, author of Dragonflies of Washington "This is now the book on all the California Odonates and should ride in the pack of every naturalist, butterflier, and birder in the American west from May through October." -Rich Stallcup, Point Reyes Bird Observatory --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (April 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520235665
• ISBN-13: 978-0520235663
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,661,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just For California!, February 10, 2004

By 

David B Richman (Mesilla Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dragonflies and Damselflies of California (Paperback)

This is a really neat and very reasonably priced book on dragonflies and damselflies. I liked it from the first time I saw it. The color illustrations are great and with the short descriptions are very helpful for identifying the families, genera and species. The size of the book is also just right for transport into the field.

I checked the book against our list for New Mexico and found that close to 1/2 of our dragonflies and damselflies are described! The handbook should thus be useful in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Oregon and northwestern Mexico, as well as the target- California.

For the price and quality the dragonfly and damselfly enthusiast in the Southwest could not find a better field reference!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "MUST HAVE" for every naturalist and budding entomologist, September 11, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dragonflies and Damselflies of California (Paperback)

Anyone in California (or visiting California) who has ever shown any interest in dragonflies and/or damselflies should own this wonderful new book! It not only contains traditional keys to the insect families of both adults and larvae, but also a well-written narrative about the behavior and life cycle of these ancient and most interesting creatures. If you are one who prefers to "picture key" your way to an identification, that is possible, as well, thanks to Tim Manolis's beautiful color illustrations. If you are looking at this book, don't hesitate...buy it...you won't be sorry!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST HAVE, March 31, 2003

By 

Douglas Aguillard "sdbirds" (National City, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragonflies and Damselflies of California (Paperback)

Tim has done for Odes what Roger Tory Peterson did for birds!!! This is a must have for the Odesters in California.....