Calpurnia Tate is the child all naturalists wish they were as children: endlessly curious, possessing of boundless energy, and most important of all, beginning their explorations of the natural world at an age when the mind has not yet been conditioned to repress questions because they might seem silly or pointless to others.
Sandwiched among other useful guidebooks to the flora and fauna of the area was found a copy of The Swift Guide to the Butterflies of Mexico and Central America.
Regardless of where your travels might take you in this world, it’s always a good idea to read-up on your destination before you go. For travelling naturalists and wildlife photographers, such preliminary study is not just a good idea, its of paramount importance.
Of all the popular photographic subjects in nature, few can rival butterflies in terms of color, variety, and charisma; however few subjects also present the photographer with more technical challenges.
It is too easily forgotten that some of the world’s greatest naturalists were also devoutly religious; Darwin himself studied to be a clergyman prior to his sailing on the H.M. S. Beagle.
When it comes to the stuff of which nightmares are commonly made, it’s difficult to find a more commonly employed foundation material than the creatures contained in the Phylum Arthropoda, particularly those included in the Classes Insecta and Arachnida…
Prior to reading Richard Fortey’s Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum, I honestly cannot recall audibly exclaiming “Bravo!” upon completing a reading of any book.
How does one go about writing an encyclopedia of insects? In terms of species, the sheer numbers of those thus far described by entomologists alone would fill several volumes if nothing more than their names were recorded.
To borrow a well-used old phrase and write that Edward O. Wilson, Pellegrino University Research Professor Emeritus at Harvard University, “wrote the book” on ants is neither to exaggerate nor employ a metaphor.
Let’s face it; while Peruvian culture and cuisine are indeed interesting, the real reason I’m making the journey to that nation with Gunnar Engblom and Kolibri Expeditions is to see and photograph wildlife – particularly that belonging to the Class Aves.
In truth, the recollection of the life of a person of so many great accomplishments as Peterson is by no means an easy task.
“Everyone is a birdwatcher, but there are two kinds of birdwatchers: those who know what they are and those who haven’t realized it yet.”
…after having read it and discovering that the information, advice, and inspiration it provided began almost immediately to influence my own field photographic work on natural history subjects for the better…
In his famous work Parerga und Paralipomena, the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer put forth the dilemma faced by a group of hedgehogs who need to huddle together in order to share one another’s body heat and thus better survive the cold.
The search for the solution to what Sir John Herschel famously called the “mystery of mysteries” – how new species come to exist – has brought a myriad of remarkable creatures to the attention of science.
At long last the much anticipated second edition of the Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe by Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterstrom, and Peter J. Grant is now available…
When it comes to field guides, Princeton University Press has long held a position of honor and respect among both professional and amateur naturalists for consistently providing exceptional levels of accuracy and attention to detail.
One of the true joys of both reading and bird study is the practice of simply doing it for unapologetic personal pleasure.
Let’s face it – natural history enthusiasts can sometimes be a tough lot for whom to buy gifts; especially if you don’t personally share, or even know much about, their particular interests.
NHBS Environment Bookstore is reporting that the much anticipated publication of the second edition of the Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe by Svensson, Mullarney, Zetterstrom, and Grant has been delayed until 2010.
