A preview of
Dragonflies and Damselflies of Georgia and the Southeast
This book is published by the University of Georgia Press, and is now
available. To order direct from UGA Press visit
their web site at
http://www.ugapress.org/
or call (800) 266-5842.
For readers outside the region, it is also available at online retailers such as Amazon.com.
Click on the image at left to view a larger version of the cover.
The book is organized into several different sections. Introductory chapters describe parts of odonates, and discuss many aspects of odonate biology including life cycle, habitat preferences, and conservation. The largest section is, of course, the species accounts. Some specific features of this book:
- over 150 species covered
- over 430 high quality images, including ages or sexes not illustrated anywhere else
- both sexes illustrated where different
- multiple images shown of most species, of the most useful angles for field identification
- range maps of the southeast for every species
- calendar bars show flight dates for every species
- for each species, similar species are listed and how to distinguish each of them is explained
- a section with some of the best sites to go looking for odonates in Georgia included
Although the species covered are based on the GA list, this book covers almost all of the species found in AL, GA, SC, NC, eastern TN, and northern FL, and covers most of the species for VA, the rest of TN, and MS.
Here are some sample pages from the book. Click on any thumbnail image to see a larger version of the page. Each page of the actual book is 6" by 9". Some of these species are not illustrated anywhere else in print, and in most cases I show all the color forms for comparison:
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The two-page account for |
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Two-page account for |
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Two-page account for |
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Brown Spiketail, |
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Two-page account for |
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Elfin Skimmer, |
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The first page of flight season calendar bar graphs from Appendix C. Each species has the flight season shown on the species account page, but they are all listed together in Appendix C chronologically for comparison. The different colors make it easy to find the right family for each species, since each family section has the same background page color. | |
Some advance praise for the book:
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This book admirably covers the diverse dragonfly and damselfly fauna of the largest eastern state. Georgia's varied topography means that the book encompasses species of southern coastal habitats as well as those of the northern mountains. With its hundreds of beautiful photographs, thorough introductory chapters, illustrated key of Families, and identification tips for the Genus groups within each Family, it will give readers their money's worth! With the guide to dragonfly and damselfly watching sites included, this book is likely to make Georgia a prime destination for watchers of these wonderful animals. In fact, it makes me want to make a tour of Georgia again myself. —Sidney Dunkle, author of Dragonflies through Binoculars and author of both out of print field guides to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Florida, Bermuda, and the Bahamas |
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Dragonfly enthusiasts rejoice! With stunning photographs and a clear, concise text, Giff Beaton has beautifully filled a large void in the burgeoning literature on these fascinating creatures. Dragonflies and Damselflies of Georgia and the Southeast sets a high standard and is a must-have guide for naturalists throughout the Southeast and beyond.
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Giff Beaton's beautifully illustrated and authoritative book treats just the
southeastern Odonata, but I would recommend it to dragonfly enthusiasts anywhere
as a fine reference for this group of insects. Rich in information with a superb
collection of photos, it belongs on every naturalist's book shelf. —Dennis Paulson, author of Dragonflies of Washington and Shorebirds of North America |