Books

Book description

Dragonflies of Chicagoland features over eighty photographs of dragonflies taken by Mark Swanson in the Chicago, Illinois, area from 2005 to 2016. The book is the fifth volume in the Moments in Nature photo book series.

This book provides a pictorial overview of the four dragonfly families most commonly seen in Chicagoland: Clubtails, Darners, Emeralds, and Skimmers. (Two other families, Cruisers and Spiketails, also live in the Chicago area but are more elusive.) While the book shows 32 different dragonfly species that can be seen in Chicagoland, as well as gender, age and color variations, it is not a field guide or complete checklist. Rather, the book is a collection of photographic portraits and behavioral observations of selected individuals.

Through close-up (macro) photography, the images capture moments in the lives of many individual dragonflies. Macro photography can provide views of physical details and behaviors not normally apparent to the casual observer. Included are images of dragonflies eating, mating, and laying eggs, as well as several images of dragonfly exuviae (cast-off exoskeletons).

Also included is a photo of the rare Hine’s Emerald, the only dragonfly on the U.S. Endangered Species List.

The photos were taken at dozens of locations in Cook, DeKalb, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties, including Montose Point Bird Sanctuary, North Park Village Nature Center, Bluff Spring Fen Nature Preserve, Emily Oaks Nature Center, Heller Nature Center, Spring Creek Valley Forest Preserve, Illinois Beach State Park, Morton Arboretum, Moraine Hills State Park, Glacial Park Conservation Area, Isle a la Cache Preserve, Kankakee River State Park, and many more.

Dragonflies of Chicagoland is the fifth volume in the Moments in Nature photo book series.

A nice gift for naturalists of all ages!

"Absolutely stunning"
— Evanston RoundTable, June 2017