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Rating: 
Summary: excellent popular book on insects and other arthropods
Review: Hubbell is clearly pasionate about insects and their relatives, and that passion shows in this outstanding book on invertebrates. Combining personal experience with solid entomological fact, Hubbell presents to the average reader fascinating glimpses of a number of invertebrate groups, such as water striders, dragonflies, daddy longlegs, and butterflies. Hubbell shows the life stories of these groups, the role they play in nature, and the people whose lives they affect. Whether beautiful or hideous, valuable or a pest, Hubbell shows them all to be fascinating creatures. Despite that many of them are quite common, some such as black flies too common, the authors show that mysteries still exist with these creatures, how sometimes relatively basic aspects of their lives and roles in nature are mysteries. This book is very readable and while not too technical is filled with lots of interesting and accurate facts and a wealth of personal experience on the part of the author. If you ever wanted to know more about the butterflies in your garden, the dragonflies wizzing by you over the local lake or pond, or that daddy longlegs in the attic or toolshed, this is the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: More research
Review: I love studying insects and Ms. Hubbell's book makes a pretty interesting addition to my collection. Her research on the lady beetles and black flies are nothing to complain about. However, recent studies have concluded that Darwin's pepper moth research is flawed, and in Ms. Hubbell's own words "For years biologists taught their students that the viceroy butterfly,...was a prime example of an edible Bastian mimic. ...and all the lecture notes and guidebooks will have to be rewitten." Maybe she needs to rewrite her own notes? Other than the lock-step Darwinianism, Ms. Hubbell make a compelling argument for the closer study of insects from the custest to the most annoying. A very good read from someone who obviously adores her subject and makes it interesting for the layman (latin names and all!).
Rating:
Summary: Great essays
Review: This is a neat book. Hubell takes a look at a number of insects that we're all familiar with (butterflies, ladybugs, daddy longlegs, black flies, silverfish, katydids, dragonflies, crickets, and more) and has a short essay on each, taking us past just the basics that field guides provide to understand and appreciate more about the lives and behaviors of these animal. There are also neat little fun facts like history of the names, european stories of the insects, etc. Her writing style is easy to read yet there is a balance between technical/biological facts and fun easy anecdotes/stories. Its all woven together so its not like you're reading a text book but you're stil learning a lot. There are lovely drawings sprinkled in throughout the book. Overall I really enjoyed the book and have gained some neat new knowledge that otherwise I would not have encountered.Here's a quick tidbit: for the eastern katydid - the latin name translates as "That being which has wings like a camellia leaf." Neat - makes me look a little differently at the katydid too. I loved this book - highly recommeded for any nature lover.
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