Dazzling Diversity

pages of illustrations depicting various insectsWhat is the most diverse group of animals on the planet? Insects! They constitute more than two-thirds of all described animal species—and there are more waiting to be discovered!

The Smithsonian Libraries' Dazzling Diversity exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History celebrates the insect world through the pages of historic natural history books. From August 8, 2017 - September 2018, a selection of the Libraries' books will be on display, providing a glimpse into the wealth of scientific knowledge recorded in the descriptions and illustrations of published literature.

These books have been digitized and are freely available online in the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL). As the largest open access digital repository of biodiversity literature, BHL makes the resources needed to study life on Earth freely available to all. Explore the books featured in Dazzling Diversity in this collection and browse the illustrations from each in this Flickr collection.