Page 48 - Waterfall Issue 11 2021

Waterfall Book Review

declines in its population yet the
insect is critical to human survival for it
pollinates most of the crops on which
we depend. Its numbers are dropping
because of various factors and not just
the indiscriminate use of insecticides
as farming becomes industrialised.

In a sense, this is an encyclopaedic
book, though, understand, it is far from
being an encyclopaedia. It is designed
to flow as it intricately explores
southern Africa’s various habitats and
their insect dynamics, biome by biome.

As I burrowed through Pollinators,
Predators & Parasites, I felt strongly
it should be in every school and
university library for it must rate among
the top half-a-dozen important books
on South Africa’s biological wonderland
and, by far, the most comprehensive
book we have on insects.

Nature could not function without
insects. Just as South Africa‘s variety of
plants, mammals and birds is among
the richest in the world so is our variety
of insects. Without that variety, the
Cape’s world-renowned floral kingdom
would not exist. And that’s just one Sample page from “Pollinators, Predators and Parasites”
incidental aspect. Our beautiful
variety of butterflies, the second most
important pollinators after the bees,
is among the world’s most diverse.

The book’s 40-page introductory
section on the anatomy and
ecological role of insects is helpful in
understanding insect diversity, their
anatomy, their habitats and their
individual ecological significance.
The chapters that follow examine,
separately and in detail, the insect Ladybirds, all predators . . . but useful ones Dung beetles generally improve the soil for plant growth
Photo by Hennie de klerk
Photo by Meagen Mansell
populations in each of our nine
biomes from coastal forest in the nature conservation; and Hennie
east to our desert in the west. de klerk a metallurgist with a life-
The region covered goes right up long interest in insects and wildlife
to the Cunene/Zambezi line. photography. Between them, they
have produced a landmark book on
It took the three authors 10 years just the natural history of southern Africa.
to assemble the material in an orderly
and appealing way. They are Clarke Available from takealot.com,
Scholtz, professor of entomology Exclusive Books, Readers Warehouse,
at Pretoria; Jenny Scholtz who, for Loot and Graffiti Books The citrus swallowtail butterfly‘s larvae is 'designed'
years, has been associated with Recommended Price R590.00 to merge with citrus leaves
Photo by Hennie de klerk

46 Waterfall Issue 11 2021