Sticks and Stones Will Get You Dragonflies

by Jane Kirkland

I love May. Great weather, flowers blooming, longer days, birds singing. And the real sense that summer is approaching, thanks to the butterflies and dragonflies.
I’ve become a huge fan of dragonflies. Why? Well, for all the same reasons your kids like dragonflies: They are very odd looking, can fly like nothing else on the face of the earth, come in many sizes and colors, are active only on the warmest of days (with temperatures over 60 degrees) and some migrate.
Can you imagine, a little thing like a dragonfly migrating? And to think that some people consider their drive to work a hassle!
As your kids might tell you, there isn’t really any reason to fear dragonflies. They don’t sting. In fact, they don’t have stingers. They can bite but usually do so only when provoked. So if a dragonfly lands on you it’s okay to leave it alone until it is ready to leave.

It’s A Good Thing
Dragonfly larvae, or nymphs, eat a heck of a lot of mosquitoes, so dragonflies are really great to have around. They don’t live very long — on average, adult dragonflies only live about 4 weeks, partly because they are as much prey as predator. They are food to birds, frogs, spiders and other creatures. Dragonfly nymphs live in water and adults breed near or on water.
Dragonflies are an indicator species, which means that the health of their species indicates the health of their habitats. So you might conclude that seeing dragonflies is a good thing.
There are more than 300 species of dragonflies in North America. Can you name three? If you fish, you probably can. People who fish tend to be able to recognize dragonfly species as well as shore birds and fly catchers. (Hint: three common dragonfly species are eastern pondhawk, common green darner and widow whitetail.)

Best Places
The best places to find dragonflies — and butterflies — include:
Sunny spots. Should you decide to take a walk to look for dragonflies you’ll discover butterflies in many of the same places. They are both cold-blooded insects and need warm temperatures to fly. So, look for them in sunny spots and look for them basking in the sun.
Water and puddles. Look for dragonflies in or on the shores of lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, marshes, swamps or puddles of rainwater. Dragonflies lay their eggs in water and males wait near the water for females.
Hilltops. Males of both insect orders (dragonflies and butterflies) hang out on hilltops where they can get a good view and look for females. Females go to hilltops looking for mates.
On sticks and tall plants. Look in fields of plants and tall grasses for dragonflies. The ones you find in fields tend to be the juveniles, those not sexually mature enough to be mating near the water.
Spend some time near the water this month and you can count on seeing dragonflies. Males like to perch on sticks to watch for females near the water. Dragonflies need the warmth of the sun to heat them and can often be found basking on rocks. They are very interesting and colorful creatures worth taking the time to check out.

Jane Kirkland is a Downingtown PA speaker, naturalist, photographer and author of the Take A Walk nature books for kids. Her new book Take A Walk With Butterflies and Dragonflies was published last month. Learn more at www.takeawalk.com