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Nature Link
Book Report
Tuesday, October 8, 2002
2002. By Ian Carmichael, Alistair MacKenzie and Brad Steinberg
Published by Friends of Pinery Park. 72 pp.
This is a photo field guide to the common dragonflies and damselflies found in Southwestern Ontario. Not many books have been published until recently about dragonflies, and none specifically for SWOnt. Although a very simple and straightforward guide, it is easy for the amateur to use and learn the insects. Interest has been growing in the field of dragonflies, as many counts are being organized in the summer.
It was the dream of St. Thomas area resident, Ian Carmichael, to produce such a guide. The Friends of Pinery decided to give the project a boost by taking on the responsibility of raising funds for producing the guide. The Sydenham Field Naturalists also kindly donated $500.00 earlier this year towards the endeavour. The SFN has been given 25 free copies to sell at a nominal cost.
The guide is a collection of photos taken over the years by Ian. The first few pages contain general information about the insects, followed by pictures of the life cycle. The photos of all the common dragonflies and damselflies follow. Male and female are depicted in either a specimen state, or in the wild. At the bottom of each page is information on flight season, habitat, range, and field notes.
Taking into account this is a general guide, I find nothing to criticize. It is straight- forward and easy to use in the field. Most of us who know nothing about dragonflies, would find this guide handy. It is small enough to take into the field, coil-bound, and has semi-waterproof pages.
I have had the privilege of meeting Ian at butterfly counts in past years. He has studied dragonflies over the years, and more recently has indulged in butterflies. Alistair MacKenzie is a dedicated naturalist at Pinery Park, and is actively involved with many things there. Brad Steinberg is a very enthusiastic naturalist currently at Algonquin, and has a passion for insects, as well as many things in nature. He worked at Pinery for a couple of years before returning to his home turf at Algonquin. If you remember, the SFN invited Brad as an indoor meeting speaker a couple of years ago.
This book is available at Pinery ($8.95) and Rondeau ($8.95), or through the SFN ($10.00 profit for the club).
On Saturday October 19, the Friends of Pinery Park is holding their annual fall colour event at Pinery Provincial Park. One of the activities is a book signing by the authors of this dragonfly book. Alistair MacKenzie will give a short slide presentation on dragonflies at 3:30 p.m. in the visitor centre, followed by the book signing.
