Looking after Australian invertebrates in captivity.

Australia is a large country with a wide range of climates and habitats. Our island continent is home to spiders, bugs, beetles and all sorts of other creepy-crawlies not found anywhere else. Welcome to the fascinating world of Australian minibeasts.

We can’t avoid insects. They scurry past us in the kitchen, pop up in our gardens, or are presented to us in jars by inquisitive children. Despite encountering them on a daily basis, most people don’t know an aphid from an antlion, and identifying an insect using field guides or internet searches can be daunting. Miniature Lives provides a range of simple strategies that people can use to identify and learn more about the insects in their homes and gardens. Featuring a step-by-step, illustrated identification key and detailed illustrations and colour photographs, the book guides the reader through the basics of entomology (the study of insects). Simple explanations, amusing analogies and quirky facts describe where insects live, how they grow and protect themselves, the clues they leave behind and their status as friend or foe in a way that is both interesting and easy to understand. Gardeners, nature lovers, students, teachers, and parents and grandparents of bug-crazed kids will love this comprehensive guide to the marvellous diversity of insects that surrounds us and the miniature lives they lead.

This stunning insight into the micro world of the minibeasts reveals the critical roles they play in our past, present and future survival. These true rulers of our world are complex, highly advanced creatures which are integral to our ecology. Simply put, without the invertebrates (insects) and other tiny critters, humans would not survive. While outlining the importance of the minibeast world, this book is also a visual feast of detail and colour, capturing form and behaviour that the naked eye isn’t able to see when encountering these small creatures. The result is a book that captivates the reader while inspiring a new appreciation for these magnificent animals. Each chapter focuses on a specific aspect of minibeasts and includes introductory text, images and informative captions. Topics covered include the jobs minibeasts perform that enable species’ to exist, and the ways in which they have evolved to suit their environments. From medical drugs to hi-tech robotics, minibeasts provide a wealth of material for humans to draw on to help solve our 21st-century problems. We borrow ideas from them in the fields of biotechnology, engineering and design, and they are essential to our continued evolution. Lavishly illustrated with breath-taking macro photography, the awe-inspiring lives and physiologies of minibeasts are presented in an engaging, fascinating take on life on earth.

It is hard to see the big picture when you are a child, but then it is much easier to see the really small things insects, lichen, coloured leaves and tiny mushrooms. And it is fun to point out something that others can not see or do not even notice as they hurry past. This is an artful exploration of the bustling world of nature usually unseen and unobserved.

Primary connections: Life and Living, Stage 1 Schoolyard Safari.