The 90 centimeters by 120 cm photo depicts a lembayung perut merah (a dragonfly native to Indonesia) resting on the leaves of a bush, waiting for the sun to rise. Beads of morning dew on its body sparkle like crystal ornaments.

"This is my favorite image," Damayanti Buchori, an entomologist from the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) in Bogor, West Java, told The Jakarta Post on Nov. 30.

The photo is one of 94 images of dragonflies taken by photographer Wahyu Sigit Rahadi that are on display at Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta until Sunday.

Wahyu, founder of the Indonesia Dragonfly Society (IDS), has been documenting and researching dragonflies across Indonesia for the past 10 years.

While accompanying Damayanti in exploring the exhibition, Wahyu said he had captured the lembayung perut merah in Ranu Regulo, the slope of Mount Semeru in East Java, which stands at 2,200 meters above sea level. After conducting a survey in the evening, he marked the exact location where he had spotted the dragonfly and returned the next morning at around 5 a.m. to take a photo of it.

"I think this is the first-ever photo exhibition on dragonflies in Indonesia," Damayanti said in her opening remarks for the event.

Visitors can expect to learn about this insect as it showcases the 89 different species found across Indonesia. One photo series shows a tengkes biru (chalky percher or ground skimmer) as it changes its skin. Other photos show detailed images of various colorful dragonflies, two dragonflies mating and one perched on a stem.

There are also photos of rare endemic dragonflies such as the bibitbuwit (damselfly) that can only be found on Samosir Island in Lake Toba, North Sumatra.

"These works by Wahyu are a great contribution to science, allowing us to record these dragonflies' diversity and habitat," Damayanti said.

The photos highlight the striking colors of the carnivorous animals. Some may also find the close-up images of its heads to highly resemble Hollywood-made aliens.

According to scientists, up to 1,125 species of dragonflies exist in Indonesia. However, their preservation is threatened by environmental degradation and pesticide use.

"[This is alarming] as dragonflies have important purposes: They eat mosquito larvae. When they're able to fly, they are a farmer's best friend because they eat agricultural pests," Damayanti added.

Having survived millions of years on Earth, dragonflies also serve as a health indicator for a living environment. If an area still has many dragonflies, it has not been polluted by pesticides and still has clean water as dragonfly larvae can only survive in clean water.

The exhibition's curator, Edial Rusli, praised Wahyu's photographs as remarkable in his opening remarks.

"This kind of work requires in-depth research and a lot of patience to produce artistic images that can be used as a scientific reference for students," said Edial, who is also a lecturer at the Indonesian Art Institute (ISI) Yogyakarta.

Wahyu's latest photos of dragonflies were taken during a research expedition in South Sumatra this year.

Such an endeavor is no easy task, according to Wahyu. One time, he waited for three hours to capture the metamorphosis of a tengkes biru.

During his research on Samosir Island, he also explored the depths of a damp and leech-filled jungle. He had to observe his surroundings carefully as dragonflies are not only tiny, but they also blend into the flora.

"When I took the photos, I got bitten by leeches," he recalled.

But his hard work has paid off. Many visitors were visibly awestruck by the photos, which show how Wahyu has earned the nickname, the Indonesian dragonfly president.

AB Widyanta, a lecturer at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), considered the photos to be an extraordinary result of perseverance.

"These photos are timeless," he said. (kes)

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