Starred review from June 5, 2023
“We live in a world dominated by insects,” according to this stunning survey. Nicholls (Flowers of the Field), a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, explains that insects evolved from ancient marine arthropods (segmented invertebrates) that crawled onto land more than 400 million years ago. Soon after, some grew wings that gave them an edge against predators and helped them rapidly spread throughout the globe. Digging into the adaptations of insects mundane and exotic, Nicholls explains that the American cockroach has sense organs able to “detect the slightest air movement” and that glacier stoneflies produce “their own brand of antifreeze to survive” on the Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina. He delves into the surprisingly complex social worlds of aphids, ants, bees, and grasshoppers, observing that Chromacris psittacus grasshoppers coordinate their feeding frenzies to maximize how much of a given leaf they can ingest before the poisonous plants they prey on deploy chemical defenses. Surprises abound, and gorgeous color photos provide intimate views of the species discussed. The result is an eye-popping tour of the weird and wild world of bugs. Photos.