Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Great Britain and Ireland

The essential field guide to British and Irish Odonata, featuring unrivalled full-colour artwork of all 58 species.

'A jewel of a book' - The Independent

Adult dragonflies are among the largest and most spectacular insects alive today, and their beautiful colours, phenomenal aerobatic skills and preference for flying in warm, sunny weather make them easy to observe.

Now in its sixth edition, this trusted, practical guide enables you to identify all 58 species across the British Isles, featuring fascinating descriptive accounts and helpful insect-watching tips. It brings together more than 300 exquisitely detailed illustrations by renowned wildlife artist Richard Lewington alongside 168 stunning photographs to showcase the essential identification characteristics. Regional guides, flight-period charts and distribution maps help you to determine when and where to see each species, and an identification key to the larvae of all the resident and migratory dragonfly and damselfly species is also provided.

Whether you are just beginning to explore the world of dragonflies and damselflies or are a long-time enthusiast, this an indispensable companion for discovering and identifying these remarkable insects.

Steve Brooks became fascinated by dragonflies when he was young, and pursued this interest in his career as a specialist in freshwater insects and environmental change at the Natural History Museum in London. He has published 281 scientific papers and book chapters, many of them on dragonflies, and five books, including a New Naturalist volume.

Steve is a founder member of the British Dragonfly Society (BDS), a former editor of the Journal of the British Dragonfly Society, and served on the BDS Conservation Committee. He is Associate Editor of Odonatologica.

Steve Cham has had a life-long interest in natural history from an early age.

He is the author of a number of books on dragonflies, including popular field guides to larvae and exuviae, and was co-editor of the Atlas of Dragonflies in Britain and Ireland.

Steve has been granted honorary membership of the NBN Trust in recognition of his services to biological recording in the UK, and in 2011 was awarded the Royal Entomological Society Marsh Award for Insect Conservation.