Lincoln Park Dragonflies
Procedure
Materials
Nets - 3
Data sheets - 1 per visit of location
Binoculars - 3
Dragonfly Identification Guides - 3
Mesh Butterfly Garden Container - 3
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Select a location (preferably a body of water) with a clear view of the vegetation along the banks.
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Record the field number, date, time, environment conditions,(temperature,humidity, and location description on the top of the datasheet using a sensor push.
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Have one group member fill out a new observation in Epicollect (ASMSU 18 Dragonfly Survey) make sure to follow everything that is required in Epicollect
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Have one member set a ten minutes timer and during that time record the amount, and species of dragonflies that you see.(Make sure to stay in one location) *Warning* No catching with nets before or during the 10 minutes of observation.
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Count the dragonflies, each time a new one comes in sight try to identify it, using the binoculars for distance dragonflies.
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After the dragonfly is identified record that into data.
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If there are dragonflies that can not be identified then proceed to catch them (with nets) in order to further study and identify.
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Once a dragonfly has been caught then proceed to identify it and collect it if it's not in the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum collection. If it is, release the dragonfly and continue to step 11.
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Put the butterfly garden upside down and open the net, allowing the dragonfly to fly upward into the butterfly garden (be patient with the dragonfly, and be careful with the wings of the dragonfly) *warning* wings very delicate
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Close the garden
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After a few minutes of trying to catch unidentified dragonflies, set up in a new spot in the area and repeat steps 2-9 two more times.
Background Research
Common Green Darner- Green Darners(Anax Junius) are part of the Aeshnidae dragonfly family and are abundant throughout North America.Green Darners’ size is know to be one of the largest in the world; males can grow up to 7-8 cm in length. Telling the difference between a male and female would be by seeing the abdominal segments: females have green on their first two abdominal segments and the males have blue on their 2nd abdominal segment and green for their first abdominal segment. Like all dragonflies adult Green Darners would eat anything smaller that it that have soft bodies, including mosquitoes, flies, Butterflies, Mayflies, Stoneflies, and even smaller dragonflies(meaning they are Cannibals).
Eastern Amberwing- Eastern Amberwing(Perithemis Tenera) are part of the Libellulidae dragonfly family. These Dragonflies are known to stay low, close to the surface of the water as they fly. These dragonflies can be found near bodies waters including, streams, creeks, marshes, ponds, and lagoons towards East. Adult Eastern Amberwings are known to be very small and can grow up to be 20mm to 25mm in length. Male Amberwings have orange or amber colored wings. Eastern Amberwings, like other dragonflies,eat other insects smaller than itself even other dragonflies.
Blue Dasher- Blue Dasher(Pachydiplax Longipennis) and are part of the skimmer family and are very common throughout the United States. Mature males will develop a bluish-white pruinescence on the back of the abdomen. These adult dragonflies can grow up to 35mm to 45mm. Females and immature males are greenish on the face and thorax, with a brownish black abdomen marked along the top with two parallel lines of pale yellow dashes. Mature males are greenish on the face and thorax but the abdomen is pruinose blue. These dragonflies can be found near lakes, ponds, and slow streams at low elevations. The adult flight season of the blue dasher is a late June to October. Blue dashers will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insects including, mosquitoes, flies, butterflies, moths, mayflies, and flying ants or termites
Eastern Pondhawk-Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis Simplicicollis) are part of the skimmer family and live around the eastern part of North America. Adult males are a powdery blue with a yellow-tipped abdomen and females are bright green with some dark brown/black spots on the abdomen. Eastern pondhawks will hunt down insects as large as themselves such as eating other dragonflies of their own species. Female Eastern Pondhawks drop their fertilized eggs into the water during the hotter seasons, because there will be less predators trying to eat hatching young.
Black Saddlebag- Black saddlebags(Tramea Lacerata) are part of the skimmer family and live throughout Mexico and the tip of the United states. Black Saddlebags will live around slow moving waters including ditches, ponds and small lakes. They will go to flourish areas where there are no predatory fishes. Black saddlebags can go to lengths of 5 centimeters in length being medium to large for dragonflies. Female Saddlebags are larger, and have a whitish-yellow spotted pattern on the back of their abdomen. Male Black saddlebags are mostly black with deeper color than females, while both male and female have black legs. Males and females meet to mate on tree branches near a source of water. Like all dragonflies Black Saddlebags will eat anything smaller than itself including smaller dragonflies.
Twelve Spotted Skimmer- Twelve Spotted Skimmers (Libellula Pulchella) are part of the Skimmer family and can be found throughout all of the United states. Twelve Spotted skimmers live near lakes, ponds, and marshes. The adult flight season for Twelve spotted skimmer will start in early June and end on late August. These dragonflies are fairly large dragonflies with a length of 50mm to 57 mm. Each wing is marked with 3 darks spots; one near the base where it attaches to the body. These dragonflies will eat any flying insect including mosquitoes, flies, butterflies, moths, mayflies, and flying ants and termites.