Dragonflies.org provides detailed photographs of a variety of dragonflies
Title
DIGITAL DRAGONFLIES
Description
Dragonflies are among the most glittering jewels of the entomological world. And the most successful - their genetic pattern is an ancient one, as revealed by the time stained imprints of their gigantic wings and bodies fossilized hundreds of millions of years ago. Approximately 400-500 species are known in the United States, with new species being described every year. Their color and behavior have excited many professional and amateur entomologists, but unlike butterflies and beetles, dragonfly colors rarely preserve well in a collection. The insect so brilliant in life is reduced in a museum to a dull caricature of itself. Recent preservation protocols using acetone have increased specimen quality and gone far in maintaining the original color. However, no technique other than photography works completely at capturing color, and nothing else has been able preserve the color of the eyes.
Photography of dragonflies is a time consuming endeavor. Whether the photographer is trying to capture a dragonfly on film in a natural setting or trying to frame an image in the studio, much time and film can be spent before the final print is available. Even then the vagaries of color processing can render an incorrect color balance. In laboratory photographs, depth of field can be a limiting factor that allows only a narrow plane of the specimen to be focused. Quality lighting to obtain the true colors of the specimen is also important and placement of flashes to ward off shadows and light the specimen is necessary. But when these technical skills are combined with an artists eye, the results are impressive.
There is still recourse for those of us whose artistic eye is somewhat myopic. This is the use of a flatbed scanner. It requires some technical skill to use and may not be less expensive than photography, but will allow the collection of taxonomically useful images of dragonflies in color. Like photography, scanning does not necessarily harm the specimen and has the advantage of immediate electronic transferral. The technique is easy to learn and the following sections on specimen handling, software and hardware describe how to capture and view electronic images of the dragonflies.
Contact
- TexasA&MAgriculture Experiment Station
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- Stephenville TX
- United States 76401
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- +1.25496543
