Rspb Spotlight Ladybirds, Paperback

RSPB Spotlight: Ladybirds is packed with eye-catching, informative color photos and features succinct, detailed text written by a knowledgeable naturalist.

Spotlight: Ladybirds focuses on the 26 species resident in the UK, from the common, but unusual Orange Ladybird, to the rarer--and aptly named--Scarce 7-spot Ladybird. Richard Comont considers the conservation challenges facing these iconic species, whose populations are now at risk thanks to the threat posed by one of their own, the invasive alien Harlequin Ladybird. The biology, lifestyle, natural history and cultural significance of this fascinating group of beetles is also examined.

Brightly colored and patterned, ladybirds are among some of our most beloved and familiar invertebrates. Firmly established as the gardeners' friend, they are perhaps the only group of insects to be viewed entirely positively by the general public.

The Spotlight series introduces readers to the lives of our favorite animals with eye-catching color photos and informative expert text.

Richard Comont is an ecologist and the winner of the 2016 Gilbert White Award for terrestrial and freshwater biological recording. He works as Science Manager for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and is part of the UK Ladybird Survey team. Richard earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Oxford in 2014 for his work on the impacts of the Harlequin Ladybird on native ecosystems. He writes a wildlife blog and is a regular 'Local Patch' contributor to BBC Wildlife magazine.