Six-Legged Ghosts

Why isn't Aotearoa New Zealand better known for its insects? The country has weta that can survive being frozen, weevils whose snouts are nearly as long as their bodies, and the world's only alpine cicadas. Yet insect numbers are falling around the world, and the decline is happening in Aotearoa too, where a number of native species have already gone extinct and many more are close to the edge.

Insects pollinate plants, clear away waste and engineer ecosystems, so a world without them is in serious trouble. Lily Duval asks why so few people care about the small creatures that shape the planet.

Six-legged Ghosts: The insects of Aotearoa is richly illustrated with more than 100 original paintings by the author. It explores the art, language, stories and science of insects in Aotearoa and elsewhere, ranging from te ao Māori to medieval art and from museum displays to accounts of the insect apocalypse, extinction and conservation. Duval looks at insects not only in the country's natural environments but also in its cultures and histories.