The Songs of Insects is a celebration of the chirps, trills, and scrapes of seventy-seven common species of crickets, katydids, locusts, and cicadas native to eastern and central North America. The photographs in this book will surprise and delight all who behold them. Many of the insects' colors are brilliant and jewellike, and they are displayed beautifully here. This book and accompanying CD provide a unique doorway to enjoyment of the insect concerts and solos that dominate our natural soundscape during the summer and autumn. The text includes information on the natural history of insects, identification tips, and an appreciation of insect song. A seventy-minute audio CD features high-quality recordings of the songs of all species, track-keyed to the information presented in the text.

Analyzes the role of insects in teaching humans about music, tracing research into exotic insect markets and research labs while explaining how insect sound and movement patterns inspired traditions in rhythm, synchronization, and dance.

This exercise routine hosted by professional dancer and fitness expert Barbi Powers leads viewers through a complete ballet and classical dance inspired workout, designed to increase core strength, balance, and grace, all while teaching viewers the most popular poses and moves in modern dance and ballet. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi

From Mount Washington to the salt marshes of Cape Cod, a chorus of insects chirrups and peeps and rustles away the golden hours of summer and fall. In Crickets and Katydids, Vincent G. Dethier invites us to share in the pleasure offered by these tiny musicians in our midst. A companion volume to G. W. Pierce's 1948 classic Songs of Insects this book introduces amateur naturalism and lovers of nature to some of the more common singing crickets, locusts, and grasshoppers of the northeastern United States. Dethier emphasizes the "world" of these insects and their place in it. He presents us with a captivating glimpse of the ecology of the singing Orthoptera, the conditions under which they are studied, and the people who have studied them. For those who wish to delve more deeply into the classification, structure, and habits of particular species, Dethier includes keys for identification of insects and their songs, as well as a table of seasonal distribution. His graceful text is adorned with fine drawings of insects by Abigail Rorer. Though always softly with us, the insect's timeless song is only vaguely known and little understood. Bringing a natural historian's appreciation to this mysterious facet of nature, Crickets and Katydids, Concerts and Solos will be a source of instruction and delight, an enhancement of the pleasure and fascination afforded by the natural world in miniature.