First, this site is best viewed in 800x600 pixels or higher resolution. To change your resolutionin Windows, go to your desktop (opening screen), make sure your curser is not over an icon, right click, then left click on "properties", left click on "Settings" tab, then change "Screen Area" to 800x600 or higher (not 640x480).

Second, I have strived (and continue to strive) to make this site as user-friendly as possible. Below, I have listed some of the design features built into this site to make your learning experience as fun and efficient as possible.

• Easy Navigation
  • No matter where you are in this site, consistent navigation tools allow you to jump to any other page on the site with just 3 clicks or less.
  • The top navigation bar includes links to the home page and all major sections.
  • When you have gone to a major section, a second navigation bar appears that contains an icon indicating which section you are in and contains links to subsections.
  • When you have gone to a subsection, a third navigation bar appears that indicates which subsection you are in and contains links within the subsection.
  • The bottom navigation bar includes the date each page was last updated and has links to:
    • email me suggestions or comments
    • the site map which serves as theTable of Contents
    • copyright information
    • to my Dept., Campus, and College.
  • Cross-reference links occur throughout the website.
  • Finally, a site map is available from the home page to help you see (and link to) where everything is.
• Quick Page Loading
  • I have reduced the graphics as much as possible to allow for faster uploading of pages.
  • Instead of loading multiple pictures for each species, I have combined the multiple pictures into a collage that was then compressed as far as possible while still retaining sufficient image quality.
  • I have placed species thumbnails on separate pages so that you don't need to wait for all thumbnails to load before going on to the species spotlights.
• Consistent Look across pages
  • Almost all pages have the navigation system outlined above.
  • All internal links (within my website) are in regular font; all external links (outside my website) are in italics (except in Resources pages).
  • All special terms are indicated by this color and are defined immediately.
• Suggestions
  • Print the thumbnail pages to take with you to the field and to take with you to study (e.g., you can cut out individual thumbnails to make flashcards.
  • Use the Resources pages to learn more.