Category Archives: Insects

What I Learned from a Summer of Ode Monitoring

Posted on September 15, 2019 by

Earlier this year I was asked by Metroparks Toledo to start a program to monitor the dragonflies and damselflies at one of our local parks. I wrote a little bit about it in this post at the beginning of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Odonata (dragons and damsels) | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Celebrating a Boy Named Laura

Posted on September 1, 2019 by

Before you get too far into this, let me just say that this one is more about the story than the photos. There aren’t any stunning pics here, but I hope you’ll enjoy the tale anyway. Okay, here we go. … Continue reading →

Posted in Odonata (dragons and damsels) | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Know Your Quarry

Posted on August 24, 2019 by

Experienced hunters understand that they’ll have more success if they take the time to learn about the lives of their target species. Someone hunting deer or rabbit needs to know the needs and habits of those animals in order to … Continue reading →

Posted in Odonata (dragons and damsels) | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Lookout, It’s an Ambush!

Posted on August 15, 2019 by

After my walk in the woods today, I stopped to admire the flower garden at my local metropark. It’s a beautiful garden of both natives and non-natives, and I was checking to see if there were any interesting insects hanging … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects, Native plants | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

Well, That Was Interesting!

Posted on July 30, 2019 by

I had a rewarding experience today while doing my dragonfly monitoring at Wiregrass Lake. It was a beautiful morning and there were only a couple other people at the park, so there were few distractions as I was concentrating on … Continue reading →

Posted in Odonata (dragons and damsels) | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Creatures of the Night

Posted on July 17, 2019 by

It stands to reason that if you want to see things that are out in the dark, you need to become a creature of the night as well. And that’s exactly what I did this past weekend. You’ve certainly heard … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Dragonfly Rescue

Posted on July 1, 2019 by

Dragonflies are fierce predators of other insects, seemingly invincible as they zip around ponds and meadows at warp speed. But they themselves fall prey to birds and even other dragonflies, in the dog-eat-dog (dragon-eat-dragon?) insect world. One predator you might … Continue reading →

Posted in Odonata (dragons and damsels) | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Leading My First Field Trip

Posted on June 30, 2019 by

I had planned to write about my visit to Lynx Prairie after Odo-Con, but time is getting away from me and it seems every day brings something else new and exciting that I want to share.  I’ve got a huge … Continue reading →

Posted in Odonata (dragons and damsels) | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Odo-Con 2019 Finds a New Ohio Record!

Posted on June 3, 2019 by

I’ve just returned home from this year’s Ohio Dragonfly Conference — also known as Odo-Con (Odonata Conference). This was my third year to attend, and it just keeps getting better. The conference moves around the state each year, allowing us … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects, Odonata (dragons and damsels), Ohio | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Two-Fer!

Posted on May 25, 2019 by

Dragon- and damselflies don’t often perch on photogenic flower heads, so when I found this one yesterday I was pleased. Of course it’s not a flower, but close enough.  This is a female emerald spreadwing damselfly (Lestes dryas), clutching the … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects, Native plants, Odonata (dragons and damsels) | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments