August 22, 2017
Posted By Byron Abston
Dr. John Abbott, Director of Museum Research and Collections
Dr. John Abbott grew up in Texas, falling in love at an early age with insects and natural history in general. He has spent much of his career and life in Texas studying insects and in particular dragonflies and damselflies. He is now the Director of Museum Research and Collections for the University of Alabama Museums in Tuscaloosa. His research focuses on aquatic insects, particularly the systematics and biogeography of dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata). John has authored many papers on aquatic insects and written several books including the Dragonflies and Damselflies of the South-central United States, the Damselflies of Texas, and the Dragonflies of Texas. He is currently working on the Peterson Field Guide to North American Insects. John is also the creator of several citizen science initiatives including OdonataCentral (http://www.odonatacentral.org), the MigratoryDragonflyPartnership (www.migratorydragonflypartnership.org), and PondWatch (www.PondWatch.org). Beyond these interests, John is an avid nature photographer whose photographs have appeared in numerous calendars, magazines and books.