NATURE UNDERFOOT

Living with beetles, crabgrass, fruit flies, silverfish, dandelions, these are the bane of many people and the target of numerous chemical and physical eradication efforts. In this compelling reassessment of the relationship between humans and the natural world, entomologist and former pesticide developer John Hainze considers the fascinating and bizarre history of how these so-called invasive and unwanted pests and weeds have co-evolved with humanity. He also highlights the benefits of a greater respect and moral consideration toward these organisms with deep insight into the lives of the underappreciated and often reviled creatures that surround us. His engaging natural history draws on ethics, religion and philosophy. A truly astounding amount of killing is taking place in growers' fields, in towns and cities and nearly all of us take part in the massacre. A review article in 2019 concluded that globally more than 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction. Bees, butterflies, dragonflies and dung beetles are mentioned as taxa that are experiencing very significant decline, all of which are represented in this book. Scientific names and terms are used in addition to occasional anthropomorphic descriptions of creatures or their behaviours in this powerfully necessary book. 254pp.