Summary

Garden Insects of North America is the most comprehensive and user-friendly guide to the common insects and mites affecting yard and garden plants in North America. In a manner no previous book has come close to achieving, through full-color photos and concise, clear, scientifically accurate text, it describes the vast majority of species associated with shade trees and shrubs, turfgrass, flowers and ornamental plants, vegetables, and fruits--1,420 of them, including crickets, katydids, fruit flies, mealybugs, moths, maggots, borers, aphids, ants, bees, and many, many more. For particularly abundant bugs adept at damaging garden plants, management tips are also included. Covering all of the continental United States and Canada, this is the definitive one-volume resource for amateur gardeners, insect lovers, and professional entomologists alike.

To ease identification, the book is organized by plant area affected (e.g., foliage, flowers, stems) and within that, by taxa. Close to a third of the species are primarily leaf chewers, with about the same number of sap suckers. Multiple photos of various life stages and typical plant symptoms are included for key species. The text, on the facing page, provides basic information on host plants, characteristic damage caused to plants, distribution, life history, habits, and, where necessary, how to keep "pests" in check--in short, the essentials to better understanding, appreciating, and tolerating these creatures.

Whether managing, studying, or simply observing insects, identification is the first step--and this book is the key. With it in hand, the marvelous microcosm right outside the house finally comes fully into view.

Booklist Review

Here's a sobering statistic: there are more than 100,000 species of insects and related garden pests in North America, and to gardeners it must often seem that the vast majority of them are eating, crawling, and flitting their way through treasured plants and flowers.nowing what's doing the damage is more than half the battle in winning the pest-control war, and to that end Cranshaw has developed an impressive, encyclopedic guide to identifying everything from acorn weevils to zebra caterpillars. Understanding the way gardeners think, Cranshaw has logically organized the information according to the type of damage inflicted. The chapter on leaf chewers, for example, lists more than three-dozen likely insect culprits. Insect groups are then further characterized by host plant, range, appearance, and habits to precisely pinpoint the offending pest. Methods of controlling insect populations, in-depth discussions of beneficial insects, a comprehensive at-a-glance appendix of common plant-insect associations, and more than 1,400 color photos make this a marvel among insect identification manuals. --Carol Haggas Copyright 2004 Booklist

Library Journal Review

Despite its title, this ambitious reference work by an entomologist at Colorado State University actually covers a wide variety of garden invertebrates-insects, snails, mites, spiders, and so forth-found in North America. Most of the text, which is based on current, cooperative extension research from around the United States, is devoted to the identification and description of harmful horticultural pests grouped by the types of damage they cause plants. One chapter provides an introduction to management principles for controlling major pests, but no pest-control advice is given in the descriptive chapters. For such information, readers should turn to excellent regional publications, such as Mary Louise Flint's Pests of the Garden and Small Farm: A Grower's Guide to Using Less Pesticide. Nevertheless, this is a welcome addition to all horticultural and gardening collections, providing an excellent introduction to the "bugs" patrons may see in their home gardens.-Brian Lym, City Coll. Lib. of San Francisco (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Choice Review

Cranshaw (Colorado State Univ.) presents a thorough overview of the insects one is likely to encounter in the gardens of North America. The organization of information mimics that of the first edition (CH, Oct'04, 42-0942): each section covers impact to a specific part of a plant (i.e., foliage, branch, root). The insects associated with each plant part are then described according to taxa. Several thousand color photographs illustrate insects, plant parts, and injuries, including multiple life stages of the same species when necessary. This is the most comprehensive visual assemblage on this subject in book format; this second edition nearly doubles the content of the first. Cranshaw helps readers identify the insects in their gardens and provides information on what to expect from their presence. Information on practical management of insect pests is sparse; one can use the scientific names to mine the internet when more details are desired. The absence of a bibliography is mitigated by devoting such space to excellent photographs. Gardeners first need to know what insects are present; they can then decide if any action needs to be taken, beyond enjoying their environments more than before. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. --Marvin K. Harris, emeritus, Texas A&M University