Fireflies, honey, and silk [[electronic resource] /] / Gilbert Waldbauer ; with illustrations by James Nardi

• Autore: Waldbauer Gilbert
• Pubblicazione: Berkeley, : University of California Press, c2009
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (247 p.)
• Disciplina: 595.7/163
• Soggetto topico: Beneficial insects
• Soggetto genere / forma: Electronic books.
• Altri autori: NardiJames B. <1948->
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Insects people like -- The silk we wear -- Dyeing the cloth -- Baubles, bracelets, and anklets -- Candles, shellac, and sealing wax -- Paper and ink -- Butterflies in your tummy -- Satisfying the sweet tooth -- Cures and nostrums -- Insect pets and performers -- Epilogue : the ecological context.
• Sommario/riassunto: The ink our ancestors wrote with, the beeswax in altar candles, the honey on our toast, the silk we wear. This enchanting book is a highly entertaining exploration of the myriad ways insects have enriched our lives-culturally, economically, and aesthetically. Entomologist and writer Gilbert Waldbauer describes in loving, colorful detail how many of the valuable products insects have given us are made, how they were discovered, and how they have been used through time and across cultures. Along the way, he takes us on a captivating ramble through many far-flung corners of history, mythology, poetry, literature, medicine, ecology, forensics, and more. Enlivened with personal anecdotes from Waldbauer's distinguished career as an entomologist, the book also describes surprising everyday encounters we all experience that were made possible by insects. From butterfly gardens and fly-fishing to insects as jewelry and sex pheromones, this is an eye-opening ode to the wonder of insects that illuminates our extraordinary and essential relationship with the natural world.
• Titolo autorizzato: Fireflies, honey, and silk
• ISBN: 1-282-77267-8; 9786612772672; 0-520-94495-X
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Record Nr.: 9910458571003321
• Lo trovi qui: Univ. Federico II