A Lesser Known Migration
—Taro Ietaka, Director of Conservation & Land Stewardship
At one nature center I knew well, there was an open door policy of a different sort: the two large doors, spreading six feet wide, were kept open any time the weather permitted. As a result, there were not only human visitors but chipmunks, mosquitoes (a reason not to implement this at Rye Nature Center), a rat snake, flying squirrels, and even a deer. One regular group of visitors into the building every autumn were large dragonflies, and they'd announce their arrival by buzzing and crashing into windows and the ceiling. These dragonflies, named Green Darners (Anax junius) for their color and because some darners lay eggs with a motion like a needle going up and down into water, were stopping by on their annual migration south.
Green Darner dragonfly. Photo: Chuck Evans Mcevan, Wikimedia Commons
Most people don't realize dragonflies migrate; most people probably don't think about dragonflies at all. And yet, one dragonfly called the Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens) performs an amazing annual migration twice the distance of the Monarch's trip from the United States to Mexico. Others migrate in groups of thousands on their trip south towards warmth and food. Of the 326 dragonfly species in North America, only sixteen are known to migrate. Beyond this, our understanding of dragonfly migration is very spotty, for example it is not yet known where Green Darners are headed on their annual trip south: it could be Florida? Mexico? or the Caribbean?
Enter the Migratory Dragonfly Project, a collaboration between academic, government, and conservation organizations in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The Project has been recruiting volunteers to be the "eyes" of researchers looking to solve some of the mysteries of dragonfly life. Volunteer citizen scientists learn to recognize five migratory dragonfly species, then monitor local ponds and flyways and report their data back to the Project. It is not difficult and can be a lot of fun. In fact, the ponds here at Rye Nature Center are a great place to participate, so if you are interested in adopting Nanderwhere or Small Pond as your own dragonfly observatory, please contact me at taroietaka@ryenaturecenter.org.
