Did you know that toads eat earthworms, provided the worms are clean and lively, wriggling irresistibly? That the larva of the water beetle, a diabolical creature, is one of the most repulsive beings in the world, with a cruel head and a pair of sickle-like mandibles on its head? That the life cycle of dragonfly larvae helps us understand how the insect transforms from a crocodile to a dragon? That water boatmen are carnivorous bugs that swim on their backs, floating on the water upside down, with their legs stretched out to maintain balance? Who is Hero lighting a torch for Leander in the hollow path? Who is the ghost swift? Or the angel of the night, who closely resembles a living snowflake?
PRESS John George Wood takes us on a journey close to the ground and watercourses. Although his considerations as a popular science naturalist might raise some eyebrows among contemporary researchers, the stroll is very enjoyable. Libération – 11/07/2020
Among other insects, the cuckoo wasp, the fearless devil or fragrant sand wasp, the giant horntail, and the bordered diving beetle make entomology an education of sight, wonderfully complemented here by the illustrations of Mr. Xavier Carteret. Valeurs actuelles – 01/10/2020
CONTRIBUTOR BIOGRAPHIES Patrick Reumaux Poet, essayist, and novelist, Patrick Reumaux has translated numerous works by Dylan Thomas, Dorothy Parker, and Emily Dickinson.
John George Wood Reverend John George Wood (1832-1889), « the pastor-naturalist, » is the most popular entomologist of the Victorian era. One of his books sold a hundred thousand copies in a week. Conan Doyle recounts Wood’s encounter with a cyanide, off the coast of Margate, in one of Sherlock Holmes’ adventures titled « The Lion’s Mane. »
Xavier Carteret Xavier Carteret is a naturalist illustrator. He is the author of « The Mushroom Drawings of Claude Aubriet » (Éditions du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle). In 2008, he defended a doctoral thesis at the ÉHESS on Michel Adanson (1727-1806) and the natural method of botanical classification.
