Since I'm "between opportunities" as someone put it (thanks Brent) when introducing me at the FWNC&R BioBlitz, I've had a lot of time to think. Too much time really but that's not really worth elaborating on here. All of this time has been good for me in some ways though as I have gone deeper into what has been a passion of mine for years: dragonflies.
Not being pestered by a job to bolster a sense of purpose, self-worth or money, I've been free to spend the hottest hours at local parks, alone, immersed in the noises of crickets, birds and rustling leaves. It's been very peaceful for the fleeting moments I forget reality and my extreme disconnect with the lifestyles/society here.
Anyway, it's obvious I love watching dragonflies and trying to understand their lives and their interactions with others in their ecosystem. I have chosen some topics that have fascinated me for years but I have only been able to collect small amounts of observational and visual data on. As iNaturalist Projects seem extremely well-suited toward aggregating large amounts of information from various sources, I've made Projects revolving around those topics.
These topics are interesting enough to look at as individual cases even if there is not enough data yet to draw any hypotheses. Another point to note is that only data that is observed will ever show up here (obviously)--species with more secretive or reclusive habits (or that just exist where people with cameras are not) won't be available for analysis. There's no solution to this lack of data in any format, iNat or otherwise, but I wanted to acknowledge it. Still, though this is a makeshift, passive way of acquiring data I believe there can be value in both scientific and non-scientific ways, possibly including outreach.
But...I think that the observations compiled in many of these projects will at least be enough to spark interest in others or bring more attention to dragonflies in their habitats, as they are mostly "action shots" and humans seem to be drawn more to that sort of things (probably since they can relate to eating or fighting with other humans much more than standing still for nice lateral shots (that was a joke)).
I'll stop writing bullshit. Here are the projects. Feel free to join and submit any relevant observations. If you would like to be a "manager" or whatever to write journals concerning the topics, message me.
Odonata - anomalies
Odonata - as prey
Odonata - eating
Odonata - emerging complications
Odonata - inter/intraspecies aggression
Odonata - parasitism
There are definitely some other great topics that crowdsourcing would lend itself well to and we could add. If you have any ideas or suggestions, let me know. Thanks to those who have already contributed in different ways, notably, @beschwar, @sambiology and @greglasley.
Brian
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