Start of Dragonfly and Damselfly Season on Long Island

Some Dragonflies like the Common Green Darner have migrated back into our area. Other Dragonflies and Damselflies have begun to emerge from our ponds, streams and rivers. The Common Green Darner (Anax junius) is one of our earliest migrants and the Eastern Forktail (Ischnura verticalis) is one of our early emergers. 

This Eastern Forktail male was found on DEC property in Manorville

There are other species seen in this area which has a sandy-bottomed fishless pond. Other species that have been seen here are the Tiger Salamanders, Spoonleaf Sundews, Tiger Beetles, Cicada Killers, Red Velvet Ants, Sweetflag Spreadwings and other dragonflies and damselflies. More species will be added as they are identified.

Also on the same DEC property was this Juvenal's Duskywing and the Lanceleaf Violet below.

 

Dragonfly Society of the Americas 2011 Annual Meeting in Fort Collins, Colorado

Register for the upcoming Annual Convention of 

The Dragonfly Society of the Americas

Fort Collins, Colorado 

Friday, July 8 - Monday, July 11

http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/bspm/DragonflyMeetingHome.html

Friday, July 8, 2011

Chambers Lake area

Leave at 7:30 am, drive to Lost Lake Trailhead-about 2 hours from campus.
 

100-200 yards hike to Lost Lake collecting area-Somatochlora hudsonica, S. semicirculare, Aeshna eremita, Coenagrion resolutum, Enallagma boreale.
 

1/4 mile hike to Laramie Lake add Aeshna juncea;continue on trail bogs and woods-add Leucorrhinia hudsonica, L. boreale, Lestes dryas, Libellula quadrimaculata.
 

West Twin Lake-about 1 1/2-2 miles total hike- add Cordulia shurtleffi.
Other possibles on this trip Somatochlora cingulata, S. albicincta, Leucorrhinia glacialis and what species wanders up from lower elevations.

Saturday, July 9.

ANNUAL MEETING BEGINS

At Colorado State University
Complementary coffee, other beverages, bagels, fresh fruit, etc.

8:30 am - 9:30 am  Overview of Colorado Odonata by D. Leatherman & the Prathers

9:30 am – 11:00 am  DSA business meeting, group photo

11:30-1:00 pm, Complementary lunch

1-5 pm presentations

Discussion of Monday Field Trip

Sunday, Monday, July 10-11

Red Feather Lakes area
Leave at 8 am, drive to Grassy temporary Pond north of Lost Lake (a different Lost Lake) at least 1 hour from campus.
 

Leucorrhinia proxima, Sympetrum madidum, S. internum, S. pallipes, S. danae?, S. costiferum?, Lestes dryas, L. disjunctus, L. unguiculatus, Aeshna interrrupta, Libellula quadrimaculata.
 

Parvin Lake or Mount Margaret trailhead-30-45 minute trip from Lost Lake.
Somatochlora minor , Ophiogomphus severus.

Lodging

Primary Lodging

We have reserved 25 rooms at two Best Western hotels, one is directly across from the Colorado State University campus, the other two miles from campus, near the Mulberry Street exit off of I-25. Interested individuals need to call either motel and indicate that they will be attending the "Dragonfly Society of the Americas Annual Meeting" 8-11 July 2011. I would strongly suggest making the reservations as soon as possible. There are other conferences on campus.

2011 Northeast Regional Meeting of the Dragonfly Society of the Americas

Message from Hal White:

Now that a few Odonates are starting to fly on the Delmarva Peninsula despite the dismal weather, it is time to think ahead to when there will be a lot more action in midsummer.

The 2011 Northeast Regional Meeting of the Dragonfly Society of the Americas will be held on the Delmarva Peninsula from Thursday evening, July 14 to Sunday, July 17. 

 

The base of operations will be in Dover, Delaware at Delaware State University. A block of 25 rooms have been reserved at the Hampton Inn nearby at $89/night. The room rate will be held for registrations until June 22 provided the block is not filled. A website providing registration (registration is free, but please register if planning to attend), housing information, meeting schedule, regional information, and species lists for various habitats is at: http://www.udel.edu/chem/white/NEDSA2011/NEDSA2011-HomePg.html.

The Delmarva Peninsula includes the state of Delaware, the Eastern Shore (of the Chesapeake Bay) of Maryland, and two counties of Virginia. Except for the northernmost parts of Delaware and Maryland, this is on the Coastal Plain with elevations less than 100 feet above sea level.

While the Delmarva Peninsula is largely agricultural, there are numerous state parks and other natural areas that support interesting Odonata populations and distinctive habitats. For example, the ponds produced by an abandoned sand mining area in Maryland near the border of Delaware has been surveyed extensively in recent years has turned up the following:  Somatochlora georgiana (Coppery Emerald), Celithemis fasciata (Banded Pennant), Celithemis verna (Double-ringed Pennant), Erythrodiplax  minuscula (Little Blue Dragonlet), Nannothemis bella (Elfin Skimmer), Libellula flavida (Yellow-sided Skimmer), Enallagma dubium (Burgundy Bluet), Enallagma pallidum (Pale Bluet), Enallagma weewa (Blackwater Bluet), Nehalennia integricollis (Southern Sprite), and Telebasis byersi (Duckweed Firetail) that are not often encountered in the Northeast US and should still be flying at meeting time.

The Pocomoke River watershed is another area that supports interesting species often near their northern limit of distribution on the East Coast. Then there are salt marshes and tidal fresh water areas where other species like Libellula needhami (Needham's Skimmer), Brachymesia gravida (Four-spotted Skimmer), and Erythrodiplax berenice (Seaside Dragonlet) can be found.

Nearly 130 species are known from Delmarva and hopefully new ones will be found during the meetings. These species are discussed in, “Natural History of Delmarva Dragonflies and Damselflies”. The book should be available in about a month from Rowman & Littlefield  http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com/:
toll free (800) 462-6420     local (717) 794-3800   e-mail:  orders@rowman.com

Our Meeting Organizers :
       Kitt Heckscher (Delaware State University)
       Jim McCann (Maryland Department of Natural Resources)
       Hal White (University of Delaware)
       Jim White (Delaware Nature Society)