Customer Reviews

A Field Guide to Common Texas Insects (Texas Monthly Fieldguide Series)

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

 

 

I found this book to extremely useful for quick field identifications. The pictures are great, as is the accompying descriptive text. The book is well organized so looking up a particular insect is easy. Also the book not only describes various insects but also gives vital information about them, such as their life cycles, impact on man and the enviroment, where they can be found, and what they eat.

I was impressed by the overall quality of this book. I wanted an easy-to-use resource book to identify the hundreds of insects I routinely see at my central Texas home, and that's what I got and more! The book was clearly organized with well written description of insects, and in center of book were 63 pages of beautiful, high-quality color photos of the 381 most common insects found in Texas. My only constructive suggestion would be that the "Life Cycle" commentary did not always provide the life expectancy of specific insects.

This book is very helpful in identifying common Texas insects. Our children love to look up bugs in this book. The only bad thing is having to flip back and forth from the color pictures to the description of the insect. Otherwise, a good book.

They say that everything in Texas either pricks, bites, or stings, and that isn't COMPLETELY true, but it's close. With this book in hand, you can identify your multi-legged assailant rapidly and accurately and decide whether you need hospitalization and an exterminator or just a Benadryl and a fly swatter. Besides, not all the bugs of Texas are bad bugs--they might still bite and sting, but YOU might not be the target species and the target species might be your enemy: look them up BEFORE you swat.

I was disappointed because I expected more from something with the word Texas in it.

Too many of the color photos are dingy and/or dark, making it less than optimal to see specific characteristics. Examples of my complaint regarding color photos: #7 damselfly, #79 Rice stink bug, #232 syrphid fly, #238 eye gnats. Some of the photos cropped out significant characteristics or body parts: #4 Mayfly (nymph), #6 Dragonfly (nymph), #86 Twolined spittlebug. In some of the photos it was difficult to identify the subject: #34 Barklice, #35 Barklice, #347 Baldfaced hornet nest.

The photos have no page numbers referring back to the narrative. You have to search the index to find the page associated with a photo.

A book with a GOOD index is a necessity when you are trying to find something quickly. This book does NOT have a particularly good index. An example is if you are trying to look up something about a "velvet ant". Don't look under VELVET, VELVET ANT, ANT, WASP, or HYMENOPTERA, because you won't find it. It can however, be found under RED-VELVET ANT, COW KILLER, GRAY VELVET-ANT, or THISTLE DOWN MUTILLID.

The line drawings and comparisons in this book are GOOD. Examples: page #31, termite compared to ant; page #43, body louse and crab louse compared; page #86, a Thrips.

Also on the positive side there is a lot of valuable information contained in the narrative section (Life cycle, Pest status, Habitat and food source).

The reference section "Literature" at the back of the book is excellent, unlike the index.

I returned this book.

This is an exccellent resource for both novice and seasoned gardeners. I have gardened in California for fifty years and just moved to Texas.

I purchased this book for my step daughter and was very excited about getting it to her. It shipped out and according to usps, made it to the destination. Later I recieved an email stating that it was at the local p.o. But no one could find the misplaced item. Amazon wouldnt help because the post office said it was delivered and neither would the post office because they said it wasn't insured. Well it never gave me that option to insure it or it would have been. I don't know if the book is as good as it is said to be, but I know I was cheated out of my money.