The Insect Man

"The Insect Man" by Eleanor Doorly is a story that follows the Yew Tree family as they embark on a journey to France to explore the footsteps of Jean-Henri Fabre, a pioneer in the field of entomology. Drawing inspiration from Fabre's insect tales, Doorly retells his fascinating discoveries in a relatable and engaging manner. Set in the South of France, this book captures the sense of wonder in scientific exploration, travel, and the biography of a self-taught entomologist. It also combines the realms of science, adventure, and biography.

''The Insect Man'' is a historical record of an early colonist of South Australia. Charles Algernon Wilson was 21 years of age when he arrived in South Australia in 1838, and continued to follow his early interest in entomology. He was able to describe, record and name the insects he saw at the beginning of European settlement.Many early settlers came to him for advice on how to protect their vegetables, fruit trees and vines from the ravages of the many insects that were attacking their crops. In the early days he sent many of his newly discovered insects back to England. It was this that made him one of the early promoters of the formation of our South Australian Museum, to which he donated his large collection of insects to begin the entomological section.Charles Wilson wrote many articles in the daily paper, ''The Register'', on 'The Natural History of the Colony in the 1840s'. He wrote extensively and contributed regularly to several early magazines on scientific subjects.His contribution to the colony before trained entomologists arrived gives an insight into life at the beginning of the settlement of South Australia.

The world of insects is at once beneath our feet and unfathomably alien. Small and innumerable, insects surround and disrupt us even as we scarcely pay them any mind. Insects confront us with the limits of what is imaginable, while at the same time being essential to the everyday functioning of all terrestrial ecosystems. In this book, the philosopher and historian of science Jean-Marc Drouin contends that insects pose a fundamental challenge to philosophy. Exploring the questions of what insects are and what scientific, aesthetic, ethical, and historical relationships they have with humanity, he argues that they force us to reconsider our ideas of the animal and the social. He traces the role that insects have played in language, mythology, literature, entomology, sociobiology, and taxonomy over the centuries. Drouin emphasizes the links between humanistic and scientific approaches—how we have projected human roles onto insects and seen ourselves in insect form. Caught between the animal and plant kingdoms, insects force us to confront and reevaluate our notions of gender, family, society, struggle, the division of labor, social organization, and individual and collective intelligence. A remarkably original and thought-provoking work, A Philosophy of the Insect is an important book for animal studies, environmental ethics, and the history and philosophy of science.

During a nature walk, Fly Guy and Buzz learn all about the different types of insects, their life cycles, what they eat, and which ones are dangerous to humans.