Know Your Neighbours: Going Buggy!

FURTHER READING

BOOK REVIEW

Bugs of British Columbia by John Acorn & Ian Sheldon,

Lone Pine, 2001 160 p, $14.95 Cdn 1-55105-231-8

Bugs are hard to write about. People even grumble about what "bugs" really are, and most of us consider them either insignificant or annoying. Bugs Of British Columbia is a great antidote for that, a colourfully illustrated guide to 125 of the "coolest" species of arthropods in the Northwest.

John Acorn calls himself a "bugster" and is involved in numerous writing and television projects dealing with natural history. Illustrator Ian Sheldon is an award winning artist with numerous nature guides to his credit.

THE GOOD STUFF

This inexpensive book is a great introduction to Northwest bugs as well as an amusing and informative look at those species most of us have noticed at one time or another. Acorn treats a potentially ponderous subject (entomology) with humour and genuine enthusiasm. There are tips on viewing them and natural history tidbits to make us better understand and appreciate bugs. An excellent introduction briefly examines topics such as ecology, anatomy, and "Being A Bugster".

NITTY GRITTY

A portable 22 x 14cm (like Lone Pine's other field guides) with color illustrations throughout. Color-coded keys at the front and on the back cover match bars on the pages for quick reference. The bulk of the book contains the species accounts. There is also an introduction, reference list, societies list and brief index.

IF I WERE EDITOR

A great little book, so just a couple of minor points. Though coverage is pretty good (how do you choose 125 species out of tens of thousands?), I'd have included those bugs we all despise - mosquitoes and noseeums. Some info on our locals and ways to avoid feeding them would be welcome. And because this book is just an introduction, I'd have included specific comments on each of the other books in the reference section to help readers pinpoint their interests.

TAKE IT HOME?

This should be on all of our shelves, not so much as a field guide but as an introduction to and advocate for a much maligned group of animals. There is enough information here to make bugs interesting to most ages, without bogging us down in technical jargon or anatomical differences.

CYANIDE MILLIPEDE Harpaphe

Long, solid and slow, you've probably seen these black, orange spotted bugs in coastal forests - they're easy to spot. Being visible isn't so much of a problem for them because of that almond smell you'll notice if you handle one. Thinking of eating it? What poison smells like almonds?

SNAIL-KILLER CARABID Scaphinotus

.Here's a beetle we coastal kayakers often see. Its 2cm brown body comes with an unusually long head, all the better to eat snails and big slugs with. They're nocturnal, so after dark you might find them munching on that slug you accidentally squished. Isn't nature wonderful?

EARWIGS Forficula

Earwigs score big on the eeyyuu factor. The common ones in our yards are a European invader, and contrary to popular shudders, they do not particularly want to be in your ears, though they do seem to love kayaks left out at night - use a cockpit cover. Whether or not they pinch with those things on the back depends on which book you read. I, for one, don't give them a chance, using a rapid "grab and toss" to remove them before paddling.

YELLOW JACKETS Vespula

Some of these hornets (there are a number of species, all in the genus Vespula) have the unfortunate habit of making their papery nests in the ground, often in old burrows. Stepping on one of these hidden nests is really exciting - the terrible, angry buzz as they rise up around you, the tragicomic dance of intense pain as you get numerous stings, the frantic chase where you risk life and limb regardless of the terrain, the secondary stings of the ones in your clothes, all capped by the gut churning dread of anaphylactic shock. In some years, late summer can be overrun with them. Vive les bears that bravely dig them up!

SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLIES Papilio

Most folks like butterflies, though many of the smaller, drabber species go largely unnoticed. The swallowtails are relatively big (8cm) and beautiful - their striking black and yellow markings are summer favorites. The projections on the end of their wings are apparently sacrificial tidbits that break off when chomped by hungry birds.

GARDEN TIGER MOTH Arctia

Unlike butterflies, many moths fly by night and are familiar to us around flashlights and patio lanterns. They have furry or straight (not club tipped) antenna. Colorful versions of both insects, including many tiger moths, are usually advertising distasteful chemicals. Some years they are common, and it's fascinating to watch them playing deadly dodge'm with bats hunting at dusk.

STUMP STABBER Ichneumonidae

A close look at one of these big, waspy looking critters is a glimpse at the stuff of horror movies. Though there are thousands of different parasitic ichneumons (ikNEWmens), the stump stabbers are the most striking. They don't sting, so if you can overcome your fear, check out their long legs and huge ovipositor - they use it to inject their larvae into grubs deep inside wood, larvae which will then gradually eat their living host's innards. Who needs to rent scary movies when you can follow these lethal bugs around and watch them do their stuff?

KAYAK POND SKATERS Limnoporus

How could I resist a bug with this name? Most of us are familiar with "water striders" of one sort or another from freshwater streams, ponds and puddles. You'll see them on kayak trips when you replenish your freshwater. They're like macabre lifeguards, zipping about on the surface tension and sucking the juices out of bugs that weren't good swimmers.

GIANT CRANE FLIES Tipula

Ah, nothing like a crane fly to the face in the dark to make your body twitch. The long legs, the papery wings, the monster size - crane flies look a bit like giant mosquitoes, but they're harmless. Watch them and you get a sense they're clumsy and lost. When you find them trapped inside cabins, tents or houses, be a dear and let them out - save your swatting for mosquitoes and deerflies.

BLUE-EYED DARNER DRAGONFLY Aeshna

I like all the damsel and dragon flies, but these are our biggest - and they're reasonably common as well. Up to 7cm long, they're darker than many other dragonflies, and have deep blue eyes. They won't sew up your lips, but they will pick off other insects in mid flight, predatory antics worth rooting for.

WOLF SPIDERS Lycosidae

Arachnophobic? You probably don't care for wolf spiders then. These wandering predators are known for their reflective eyes - hold a flashlight near your own eyes and scan for them. They're also known for being big, hairy and fast, which many consider alarming traits in a spider. They don't spin webs, so look for them out a' hunting.

ORB WEAVERS Aranaeus

Beauty and the beast, or rather beauty built by the beast - Northwest orb weaving spiders can get pretty big, complete with plump abdomens and venomous fangs. But ah, such lovely webs they weave. If you spot (or disturb) one while setting up camp, take some quality time to watch Charlotte spin her web. Dewdrops on the silky strands are hard to resist for photographers, and hey - any critter that hungrily reduces the number of annoying flying bugs is OK in my book.