If you’re familiar with our User Profiles blog series, you’ll know that people add to the ALA’s Individual Sightings for a range of reasons, but all share a passion for Australia’s species. Vuk Vojisavljevic is no different.
When it comes to identifying species using images, as is common with citizen scientists, the more detail included the better. Many of Vuk’s insect images are taken with the intention to highlight identifying features that distinguish one species from another.
He uses the ALA as a “quick search for basic classification facts”. To classify further, he follows keys from published articles, which is sometimes a “very difficult job”.
He uses affordable macro lenses and free online software to create the composite images.
He has been surprised by just how many different species he has been able to find when he goes collecting. On one trip he found over 1000 different species on “a few coastal Acacia trees”. “Each week the list of species is different” he said.
While his addition of the photos is a hobby for him now, it is obvious he spends a lot of time to share his knowledge, passion and interest with others through the ALA.
Please contact us if you would like to share how you use the ALA.