The bronze amulet bee swarm is a phenomenon that occurs in certain regions where large numbers of bees swarm around bronze amulets. This unusual behavior has been observed in various parts of the world, and it has captured the attention of scientists and beekeepers alike. It is still not fully understood why bees are attracted to bronze amulets. Some theories suggest that the shimmering color of the bronze may resemble the appearance of a pheromone released by queen bees, which could be causing the attraction. Others believe that bees are simply drawn to the warmth that the amulet retains, especially on sunny days. Regardless of the reason, the gathering of large numbers of bees around bronze amulets can be quite a sight to behold.
Magical Jungle: An Inky Expedition and Colouring Book – A Review
Disclaimer – Please read this disclosure about my use of affiliate links which are contained within this post.
This review is of the UK edition of Magical Jungle published by Virgin Books. I also have a US edition published by Penguin and have written a comparison post about the differences between the two which can be found here. Both copies of the book were purchased by me as I was unable to secure review copies, I purchased the UK edition from Amazon UK and the US edition from Book Depository. This UK edition of Magical Jungle was printed in Italy.
Magical Jungle is a paperback, square book (25cm x 25cm) which is exactly the same size as Johanna’s previous three titles, Secret Garden, Enchanted Forest, and Lost Ocean. It has a black spine with white text, the same as Secret Garden and Lost ocean and it looks beautiful with the other titles on the shelf (see photo below). The UK edition has a removable dust jacket which has gold foiling accents on the front, really adding to the luxurious feel of this book. The jacket is made of thick paper which you can colour and the inside of it is covered with a beautiful jungle foliage pattern which has a waxy finish and can be coloured but only with certain mediums because most pens and pencils are repelled by the shine (alcohol markers are best for this and don’t bleed). This dust jacket is a little looser than the first two and feels a little thinner, it is off white and not cream (see the photo below to see the difference) so it does look a little different from the first two and is similar to Lost Ocean but not quite white. Under the dust jacket, the book is paperback with bright grass green card covers which have an inky black orchid and leaf design on the outside and inside covers. The paper is NOT the same as any previous titles or editions of Johanna’s books and also IS NOT the same as the US edition of Magical Jungle. The paper is most similar to the Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest paper but instead of being a yellowy-creamy colour, this is much whiter and more of an ivory hue. It feels equally as thick as the SG and EF paper and has a good level of texture so it’s not difficult to cover the gaps but you can layer and blend well with coloured pencils. I didn’t experience any bleeding or shadowing with water-based pens but everyone colours differently so do make sure you test them on the brand new colour palette test page at the back of the book (a very handy feature where you can not only check for how your mediums behave on the paper but also test colour combos on the new ivory paper).
The images are printed double-sided with no border and the spine is glue and stitch-bound, normally this would mean a little of each image was lost into it but Johanna has taken on board the concerns of us colourists and has deliberately left the spine as clear as possible in the vast majority of the images so this frustration is mostly gone! The book contains 80 pages of stunning images, the same number as in Lost Ocean, fewer than Johanna’s first two books (96 Secret Garden, 84 Enchanted Forest) but I have to say, I didn’t notice this at all until I looked at the specs on Amazon. The style of the images has somewhat changed and Johanna has added more double-page spreads and ribbon pages (those with an illustration running across the middle but not filling the entire page) and put in fewer patterns and mandala-style images though there is a running theme of images with symmetry which I know are a bit like Marmite within the colouring community. One issue specific to the UK edition is the print quality, I have checked with a couple of friends of mine who also have a UK edition printed in Italy and all of us have pixelation throughout the images. This is very subtle and is only noticed when you look very closely at the lines but nevertheless, it’s there and the lines aren’t crisp and neat as the original drawings would have been or as they are in the US edition (see comparison post for more information on this). This pixelation doesn’t particularly affect the enjoyment of the book but it is there and is present on all colouring pages throughout the book, see photos below for clarification.
The book starts with a “This book belongs to …” page where you can add your name and then goes on to show all of the animals that are hidden within the pages for you to find (at the back of the book all of the items are listed under a miniature image of each page they are contained within). You are then transported into Johanna’s Magical Jungle where you will encounter turtles, snakes, monkeys, parrots, and butterflies galore. The images range from double page jungle scenes, to mandala style images of insects, fruity repeating patterns, to single creatures taking centre stage in bordered images, and so much more. Your journey into the jungle starts with a double-page spread where you encounter a waterfall and a croc-infested lake. Walking through the jungle you discover tigers, pandas, tropical birds and tree frogs. There are scenes of gigantic leaves, jungle pools, monkey-filled canopies, jungle houses, ponds and so much more. Finally, at the very end of the book are 4 single-sided perforated pages printed on the same paper as the rest of the book with beautiful images that you can colour and then remove and frame. These pages would be perfect for wetter, more-likely to bleed mediums like watercolours or alcohol markers. These perforated pages have replaced the fold-out spreads of Enchanted Forest and Lost Ocean and while some people have been disappointed by this and in some ways I am too, they’re also really beautiful illustrations that will be wonderful to frame and I’m pretty sure this was Johanna’s way of appeasing the people who’ve been consistently asking for removable pages (which can’t be done throughout the book due to cost) and not have to wait until the Artist’s Edition is published next year in order to colour with alcohol markers or be able to frame some of our work. A number of the images in the book have large blank spaces where you can add your own inky leaves and creatures or just leave them blank if drawing isn’t your forte and unlike in Secret Garden there are no written hints so you’re free to create whatever your imagination can conjure up. If you need inspiration then head online to google, pinterest and Facebook colouring groups where there will be finished pages cropping up daily from people worldwide who are venturing into the foliage and colouring their own leafy jungle.
In terms of mental health, this book has different benefits from Johanna’s previous titles. This book is definitely less distracting and requires much less concentration because there are fewer elements on the majority of the pages and these are larger and less detailed. The line thickness is the same as her previous books and is very thin however the intricacy and detail levels are drastically decreased and this is her least detailed book to date which means it will suit far more of you, especially those of you with poorer vision and fine motor control who were just overwhelmed with the teeny tiny sections of her previous books. Fineliner colourers may be quite disappointed as there are very few images in this book that specifically lend themselves to colouring with fine nibs and if you’re wanting to use pens you’ll be much better placed using gel pens or fibre-tips (steer clear of alcohol markers, they’ll bleed through). The illustrations in this book are ideal for pencil colourers because there is so much space to blend and shade; there is also plenty of space to add your own backgrounds if you wish. The images aren’t arranged into a storyline and are more of a collection of jungle-themed illustrations, this means that the book doesn’t especially take you on a journey though it does definitely transport you to a far off place and offers a good level of escapism. The variety of image styles means that there is something for every concentration level as well as good and bad days of symptoms. There are ribbon images which could take you just a couple of hours to colour, centralised single images which will take a few hours, all the way up to jam-packed double-page spreads depicting jungle scenes which will take days or even weeks depending on what mediums and techniques you use to colour them and whether or not you add a background. The nature of the imagery in this book is superb for calming you down and helping you to zone out. I find nature scenes the best thing for calming down my anxious racing mind and this book really does that. The lack of intricacy is a shame for some of us but I know this increases anxiety in some colourers and for those of you who experience this, this book will be ideal for you! You can always add your own intricate patterns and details if you wish meaning you can combine colouring and zentangling if you choose.
Magical Jungle is a huge step away from the detail and intricacy of Lost Ocean and is most similar to the larger more open-spaced designs of Enchanted Forest. The content is very plant-heavy and is filled with leaves and flowers with lots of animals featured throughout; there have been some complaints from people who were expecting it to be animal-centric and who were disappointed so please do check out the images below and Johanna’s flick-through here. I personally really love this book, the print quality issues with the lines being pixelated in the UK version are a real shame and I do miss some of the detail of Johanna’s previous titles but in general this book is beautiful, I do wish there was more of a storyline with the images rather than it being a themed collection but overall it’s gorgeous and will be so lovely to colour and I can’t wait to get started on my next page.
The image below was coloured using Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils.
Magical Jungle: 36 Postcards to Color and Send
These clever postcards feature beautiful drawings from Magical Jungle, illustrator and ink evangelist Johanna Basford's wondrous expedition through the jungle. Color in the cards to bring to life speckled tree frogs and dainty hummingbirds, prowling tigers and playful monkeys, and then share the magic with your friends—that is, if you can bear to part with them! Each postcard is an invitation to an exotic rainforest teeming with creatures large and small.
For explorers of all ages.
PRAISE FOR JOHANNA BASFORD'S COLORING BOOKS
"The colorists have a queen, and her name is Johanna Basford." —New York Magazine
"Consider trading in your yoga mat for a set of markers and peruse the gorgeous gardens of Basford's imagination." —Huffington Post
"Artist Johanna Basford is at the forefront of the grown up coloring trend. Her whimsical artwork just makes us want to drop all our responsibilities and color forever." —Hello Giggles
"This is a breathtakingly beautiful coloring book, full of detail, whimsy, and possibilities. Inspiration invades at the turn of the first page and is guaranteed to capture the imagination and attention of any artist young and old." —The Children's Book Review
© Hayley FraserJohanna Basford is an illustrator and ink evangelist who prefers pens and pencils to pixels. Her intricate, hand-drawn illustrations are loved the world over by those who have colored in (sometimes more than once) her bestselling books World of Flowers, Ivy and the Inky Butterfly, Johanna’s Christmas, Magical Jungle, Lost Ocean, Enchanted Forest, and Secret Garden. Johanna is a graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in Dundee. She likes sugar mice, floral teacups, peonies, and bumblebees. View titles by Johanna Basford
Regardless of the reason, the gathering of large numbers of bees around bronze amulets can be quite a sight to behold. It is not uncommon to see hundreds or even thousands of bees clustering together, forming a buzzing cloud that hovers around the amulet. This behavior can be both fascinating and intimidating, especially for those with a fear of bees.
About
From Johanna Basford, 36 postcards for coloring in and sending to friends (or keeping for yourself!)
These clever postcards feature beautiful drawings from Magical Jungle, illustrator and ink evangelist Johanna Basford's wondrous expedition through the jungle. Color in the cards to bring to life speckled tree frogs and dainty hummingbirds, prowling tigers and playful monkeys, and then share the magic with your friends—that is, if you can bear to part with them! Each postcard is an invitation to an exotic rainforest teeming with creatures large and small.
For explorers of all ages.
Beekeepers, who have encountered bronze amulet bee swarms, have different opinions about their impact. Some beekeepers see this phenomenon as a nuisance because it can disrupt the normal behavior of their hives. In a swarm, bees may abandon their hives temporarily to cluster around the amulet, leaving the hive vulnerable and potentially leading to a decrease in honey production. On the other hand, some beekeepers have found ways to embrace the bronze amulet bee swarms and even use them to their advantage. They have discovered that by strategically placing bronze amulets in their apiaries, they can attract swarms away from their hives, reducing the risk of overcrowding and increasing the chances of capturing new colonies. Overall, the bronze amulet bee swarm is an intriguing natural phenomenon that continues to puzzle scientists and beekeepers. Further research is needed to gain a better understanding of why bees are attracted to bronze amulets and how this behavior can be effectively managed in beekeeping practices. In the meantime, the sight of a buzzing cloud of bees around a bronze amulet serves as a reminder of the intricacies and wonders of the natural world..
Reviews for "The Bronze Amulet Bee Swarm: A Fascinating Example of Insect Behavior"
1. Emily - 1 star - I was really disappointed with "Bronze amulet bee swarm". The storyline was all over the place and it was hard to follow what was happening. The characters felt one-dimensional and had no depth or development. The writing style was also lacking, with awkward sentence structures and repetitive phrases. Overall, I found it to be a complete waste of time and I would not recommend it.
2. Mark - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Bronze amulet bee swarm" but it fell short for me. The pacing was extremely slow and it took forever for anything significant to happen. The plot was confusing and fragmented, making it hard to engage with the story. Additionally, I found the dialogue to be unrealistic and forced. The concept had potential, but the execution left much to be desired.
3. Sarah - 1 star - I couldn't finish "Bronze amulet bee swarm" because I found it incredibly boring and uninteresting. The writing was lackluster and did not captivate my attention at all. The characters were forgettable and the plot felt contrived. I kept hoping it would pick up eventually, but I just couldn't bring myself to continue reading. It was a disappointment and I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating read.
4. Alex - 2 stars - I found "Bronze amulet bee swarm" to be quite underwhelming. The world-building was weak and the descriptions were lacking detail, making it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story. The pacing was uneven, with slow sections dragging on and fast-paced moments feeling rushed. Additionally, the ending was unsatisfying and left too many loose ends. Overall, it had potential but failed to deliver a compelling narrative.