Reddit reviews National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders: North America (National Audubon Society Field Guides)

Try to find out what species you have. [Here] (http://www.audubonguides.com/field-guides/insects-spiders-nature-app.html) is an app to help you identify the little buggers. I haven't used it, but I have used their [field guides] (http://www.amazon.com/National-Audubon-Society-American-Paperback/dp/0394507630) which I would recommend highly to anyone interested in studying their local flora and fauna.

Try to find out anything you can about their eating habits, reproduction cycle, etc. Learning about them may make it easier for you to view them as fellow animals.

Also learn where the real danger is. Find out what lives in your area. Learn which ones, if any, are dangerous and what they look like. Knowing this information will give you an edge against your fear response, it should help you differentiate between danger and fear.

A specific regional guide will usually be more meaningful to own than a general guide that covers all of North America.

That been said, I personally own and recommend the National Wildlife Federation's Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America. It's packed with pictures and organizes everything by order, and then by family (to really understand the groupings, you should familiarize yourself with taxonomic rank). For each order, it includes some basic anatomical diagrams to help you distinguish one order from another.

It's also printed on some pretty durable gloss paper and has a water resistant cover, as icing on the cake.



I have not compared it to the Kaufman guide, since my book store does not carry it.

Comparing it to the Audubon version, I find that the NWF's guide is better for beginners due to having a picture for everything it lists. I also noticed the toner was coming off on my hand on the audubon guide while I was flipping through it in the book store.

I scarcely use it now because I've gotten good enough at identifying orders and a good number of families to use bugguide to narrow things down, but it was nice to take along on a camping trip.

Note that if you want to learn how to differentiate families of beetles or butterflies or spiders based on their anatomical traits, you'll probably need a specific field guide pertaining only to that bug. I can't recommend any, since I don't own any. Or use online references - again, bugguide is pretty good for a lot of things, but I have learned a ton from just googling for the information on a specific taxon.

You mean this one? I've had this since I was a kid, I love it.

https://www.amazon.ca/National-Audubon-Society-Insects-Spiders/dp/0394507630

Got it as a gift and it isn't bad, groups bugs by appearance which can be helpful or annoying depending on your experiance

also don't limit yourself to the woods only, some of our largest insects are in the water up here in canada, maybe less so in the south

Also: bio books
Ernst Haeckel: Art Forms in Nature Coloring Book https://www.amazon.com/dp/0764974718/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KJQcBbKBS180V
Art Forms in Nature: The Prints of Ernst Haeckel https://www.amazon.com/dp/3791319906/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vLQcBb6P811G0
The Anatomy Coloring Book https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321832019/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VMQcBb9XJGXX9
Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region https://www.amazon.com/dp/0394507606/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_7OQcBb7QBN95M
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders: North America (National Audubon Society Field Guides (Paperback)) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0394507630/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5PQcBb0PZQYNW

Preserved specimen: Real Bat Specimens Science Classroom Specimen for Science Education https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072BCCTL1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ZSQcBbE7HYPN2
Real Snake Skeleton Specimen in Acrylic Block Paperweights Science Classroom Specimens for Science Education https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078581LLZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_OTQcBbN1W3JWE

Models:
Wellden Medical Anatomical Human Skull Model, 3-part, Numbered, Life Size https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EKC5SHS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YZQcBbCF8D61B

Audubon Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians

http://www.amazon.com/National-Audubon-American-Reptiles-Amphibians/dp/0394508246

Audubon Guide to North American Insects and Spiders

http://www.amazon.com/National-Audubon-Society-American-Insects/dp/0394507630

The Audubon Guides were beautiful color-photographic plates over several hundred pages that detailed almost all major species. I found them on my father's shelves when I was 5 or 6 and carried them around with me for about 6 years. It is, to this day, why I know most snakes by sight, immediately, and the same for insects and spiders.

I wish I still had them.