Aquatic Adventures

If it is flying, flapping or swimming, it is worth chasing, studying and sharing with friends.

Spatterdock Darner

Today we were harassing dragonflies at the Gorman Nature Center in Mansfield, Ohio. For a little pond, the list was amazingly varied!   Eastern Amberwings, Eastern Pondhawks, Dot-tailed White-face, Comet and Green Darners, Slaty and Twelve-spotted Skimmers, and many others- including this amazing Spatterdock Darner! It was a feast for the eyes.

Judy Semroc and Larry Rosche

Two of my favorite guides and dragonfly experts Judy and Larry gave an excellent program and led the field trips.

They do professional outreach for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The are also the authors of one of the best dragonfly and damselfly guides written in the Eastern U.S.  If you don't have it, you can buy it on-line: just click here.

The bridge at Gorman Nature Center's pond.

If you are interested in learning about Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies), the pond behind Gorman Nature Center is a well-stocked location. You can spend an afternoon and see up to fifteen species!

Our field trip to the pond.

We did plenty of milling around, catching the adult fliers and netting some aquatic life in the form of immature Odonates, water bugs and frog tadpoles galore!

 Judy waded right out into the water to get the best specimens, while Larry identified all the goodies we brought to him on shore.  If you have never ventured into the field with these exceptional leaders, you have been missing out on a lot of fun!

They will be leading part of the Aquatic Adventures for Flora-Quest, Aug. 27-29, 2015  in the Mohican Area.  For those of you in the Cleveland area, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History  is offering a sign-up on line to drive down in the bus from CMNH. Just go to this link to sign up from the CMNH calendar.

Or go directly to the Flora-Quest website to see all our offerings.  If you are interested in plants or natural history, this is the conference for you.  Hotel rooms are limited, so contact me if you need help finding a room.

Hope to see you there, chasing Dragon Hunter dragonflies and Hellbenders!

The Dragonhunter

My Holy grail of Ohio dragonflies would have to be the Dragonhunter, Hagenius brevistylus. These high speed, death-dealers of the Odonate world prey on any other insect they can take down- including other monster-sized dragonflies. I have seen them before, but it has always been as they zoom past a riverbank at breakneck speeds. Catch them in a net, you say? Good luck on that! They give even the most expert dragonfly hunters a difficult time.

So an eye to eye encounter with a Dragonhunter is a rare opportunity. This one was found freshly liberated from its aquatic form in the nearby Grand River.

A few feet from the river's edge we found this silver-dollar sized exuvia, the shed exoskeleton of a Dragonhunter nymph. Dragonflies spend the beginning of this life cycle as an egg, once hatched- they remain a water-born nymph until they climb of the water and shed their exoskeleton and begin life as a winged adult.

These exuvia are fascinating molds of their previous life form. Each species of dragonfly have their own distinct larva, exuvia and adult form. It is not unlike their insect cousins the butterflies. Butterflies too can be identified by their caterpillar, chrysalis and winged adult form.

Special thanks to John Pogcnik, Guy Denny, Jim Davidson, and Ian Adams for teaching me more about dragonflies on a recent tour of the Grand River. If you would like to learn more about dragons, mark your calendar for June 25th, when Guy Denny will be leading a dragonfly/ butterfly walk at the Bobolinks at Byers woods Festival in Ashland County. More details to come.

My what big teeth you have!

The Great Lakes Odonata Meeting provided some wonderful opportunities to learn from the dragonfly experts. We spent a good deal of time wading the Big Darby, which was not a bad job during Ohio's steamy heat in July. Other trips went farther afield for the rarities, and we also spent some time locally with pond species.


Comet Darner in flight- photo by John Howard

Comet Darners are a sight to behold at three inches long, these mega-insects have a cherry red abdomen. Don't wait for them to land for a photo, as they never seem to perch. John Howard shot this portrait of a darner in mid-flight in Adams County. Considered rare, they are easily distinguished from the frequently seen Common Green Darners.




All dragonflies start their lives under water as nymphs. Some larger species may spend two or three years in the larval form before they emerge from the water, split out of their "exoskeleton" or shell, and fly away. Occasionally, one may find their exuvia - the shed exoskeleton- on a reed or grass where the insect emerged.

My what big teeth and jaws you have! The Comet Darner's exuvia is readily noted by the monstrous proportions of the jaw. I have outlined the photo in blue, to show the jaw extends clear back to the 3rd leg. That's like having teeth down to your belly-button! No wonder so many science fiction monsters look like they were modeled after dragonfly larva!

Thanks to these knowledgeable guides and leaders from Ohio Odonata Society and the Batelle-Darby Metro Parks. Erik Pilgrim, Bob Glotzhober (blue shirt in fore ground), Bob Restifo, Andrew Boose, and Mac Albin. It was a wonderful weekend!