June 15, 2008 (Vol. 28, No. 12)

URL:
http://www.odonatacentral.org

Rating:
Strong Points: Superb collection of information
Weak Points: None

Summary:
Summer is fast approaching and with it comes an armada of insects. Aside from butterflies and fireflies, few insects cause people to wax poetic, but notable exceptions are the dragonflies. These amazing and beautiful fliers of summer are celebrated in a wonderfully organized and beautifully photographed collection of information organized into a database known as Odonata Central. Sponsored by the Texas Natural Science Center at the University of Texas at Austin, Odonata Central provides visitors with easy access to a mountain of nicely organized information. User options include Checklists (summaries by geographic location), Maps, Photos/ID, Records (database info), Resources, Publications, and Societies. The last item is slightly misnamed, as it only refers to the Dragonfly Society of America. The materials available to nonregistered browsers like me are awesome, particularly the pictures. Registration presumably gets you more, including the ability to submit information. I liked everything I saw at this excellent site, but I do have one question—why do the names of desirable insects all seem to end in ‘flies’?

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