Dragonflies of the Colorado Front Range
By Ann Cooper – (2014)
111 pages; gloss art paper, with 109 colour photographs, 17 monochrome technical drawings & 1 map.
Soft Cover: 22cm x 12.7cm
ISBN: 978-0-9837020-1-6
Boulder County Nature Association, Colorado
Designed as a guide for new comers to the joys of odonate watching, without as the author basically puts it, the technical overload of other regional or national guides, this small book deals specifically with the odonates found in 18 (either in part or full) of the 63 counties of the USA state of Colorado. The author has selected 73 of the more common species encountered in this area, which is a surprisingly significant number for such a small (as designated by the map on page 6) area bearing in mind that there are only 457 species in all North America (north of Mexico).
The species are presented in families with a basic broad description of the family with no generic descriptions. Each species has its common name, scientific name and notes on habitat, basic description of males and females with average total body length, behavior, flight season, similar species and other miscellaneous notes and observations. There are no indications of distribution local or otherwise. The text of each species is enhanced by the inclusion of at least one colour photo while many have two.
This is quite a useful book with many nice colour photos and practical helpful hints on watching and photographing odonates. The lack of distribution notes is rather disappointing, however, this book can be used in conjunction with other books on USA odonates and colour and other variation can be compared with those books and of course it serves as a basic guide to the selected area within Colorado.
Rod Rice
Principal Reviewer
Nature & Travel Books