Insect Day: A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Hexapod Lives (Earth Day)

"An hourly guide that follows twenty-four insects as they find food, mates, and safety from predators. In this short book, celebrated scientist Erica McAlister leads readers on a worldwide field trip in search of insects. Each chapter of Insect Day introduces a single insect during a single hour, highlighting how twenty-four different species spend their time. Early in our day, we meet a cold Arctic bumblebee, basking among poppy flower petals to warm itself. Even when the world around it is very cold, it can produce temperatures of up to one hundred degrees Fahrenheit by vibrating. Near midday, there is enough sunlight for the blue-winged helicopter, a damselfly, to navigate the forests for its prey. When our insect spots a spider web, it looks for the creator-one vicious hunter eyeing up another. The giant damselfly backs away from the web and then launches into an attack, grabbing on to the spider with its forelegs. If successful (many spiders are dropped), the insect perches while feasting. And then, like the most fastidious of diners, it cleans off any gossamer threads with a good preen. Other dragonflies may even steal the spider's already-wrapped prey. In the dark, the dung beetle also looks to the sky, using the Milky Way to orient itself as it rolls a ball of dung-a future home for its offspring. And, as our day closes, a tiger moth avoids being hunted by bats by fighting sound with sound-jamming the bats' sonar with ultrasonic clicking noises. For each chapter, artist Natalie McIntyre has depicted these insects in stunning illustrations, blending traditional scientific drawing methods with fine art techniques. Working together to narrate and illustrate these unique moments in time, McAlister and McIntyre have created an engaging read that is a perfect way to spend an hour or two-and a true gift for readers, amateur naturalists, and all insect lovers"-- Provided by publisher.