Introduction

Bugs & Slugs may be a catchy title for this pocket field guide, but it explores the lives of many more kinds of invertebrate animals and is designed to help the novice make sense of how these little creatures are organized into groups. For many of us, the term bug is used, often disparagingly, for any small invertebrate that creeps, slithers, burrows, climbs, or flies. But technically, true bugs are only one group of the vast diversity of insects. In addition, we will cover arachnids (including the spiders, ticks, mites, and scorpions), crustaceans (including the sowbugs and crabs), gastropods (including the snails and slugs), annelids (including the earthworms and leeches), and myriapods (including the millipedes and centipedes). The majority of species presented in this book can be found in your backyard, so with some patience, and perhaps a magnifying glass, you can easily learn about and acquaint yourself with a fascinating world that is most often overlooked and misunderstood. You may also find that creatures that were once feared are, when given respect, quite sociable and harmless, and essential components to a healthy ecosystem.