Last week, I participated in the Olympics...the Odolympics, that is — better known as the "Odonata Olympics." Sponsored by the Dragonfly Society of the Americas, Sociedad de Odonatalogiá Latinamericana and Odonata Central, this week-long Olympian citizen science effort focused on recording dragonflies and damselflies, members of the Odonata order, to provide a snapshot of distribution across the Western Hemisphere for these amazing creatures.
Dennis Paulson, dragonfly expert and author of "Dragonflies and Damselflies: A Natural History" writes, "Dragonflies and damselflies have been around for at least 250 million years, appearing with the dinosaurs but long outlasting them." Though distant relatives of the dragonflies that we see today originated well before that time, "...many of the families we recognize today were present by about 200 million years ago," writes Paulson. Talk about withstanding the test of time!
As winged predators, adult dragonflies and damselflies feed on a variety of smaller flying insects including mosquitoes, midges, bees, butterflies, moths, and, at times, smaller dragonflies, or damselflies. They can eat up to 15% of their body weight at a time and snag creatures that are more than one-half their size! Truly, flying terrors to insects on the wing.
But back to the Odonata Olympics. During the week, my wife and I visited several dragonfly hotspots in Central Oregon, such as Reynolds Pond in Alfalfa, Hatfield Ponds in Bend and the Slough Day Use Area along the Deschutes River. We had planned on visiting some Cascade lakes, but the recent wildfires put a damper on that idea.
Armed with our "Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Northwest: A Field Guide" by Cary Kerst and Steve Gordon, camera and binoculars, we searched the edges of the ponds for the winged wildlife. Though we knew several species from previous outings, we learned that identifying dragonflies is challenging. "Some dragonflies, like the darners, they fly so much that pretty much all you can say is 'There goes a darner," said Matt Hunter, wildlife ecologist from the Umpqua Valley.
Several species, such as the eight-spotted skimmer and band-winged and striped meadowhawk, were easier to identify from photographs I took. Others, such as the tule bluet and paddle-tailed darner, were more of a challenge because of several look-alike species. Good thing that for these Olympics, all we needed to qualify was to show up.
Beyond learning to ID the species, we followed up with some reading on dragonfly migration — a phenomenon like bird migration but far less understood.
"There are only two species that I'm aware of that migrate through central Oregon: the common green darner and the variegated meadowhawk," said Hunter. "All the dragonflies have some kinds of movements when they emerge from a pond or stream, and a typical pattern is that the dragonfly will fly some distance away from that area, sometimes a mile or two while their exoskeleton is hardening up." Though these dragonflies may fly to similar, nearby habitat or return to their natal area, this isn't the "true" migration that the darner and variegated meadowhawk undertake.
Though we spotted some green darners with our binoculars, I couldn't get a photograph of them, because they were either always in flight or maintained some distance from us. What we did learn is that there is also a Migratory Dragonfly Partnership, comprised from numerous agencies, institutions and organizations, which focuses on the migratory patterns of various dragonflies. Amazingly, the darner migrates as far south as the tropics, while western and Midwestern variegated meadowhawks migrate along western mountains and the coast.
"In August or September, especially if there are east winds that move a lot of these variegated meadowhawks over to the coast, people sitting on a jetty or along the shoreline have reported these meadowhawks flying by," added Hunter. The variegated meadowhawks have been recorded migrating as far south as Honduras from North America. For some, this might be represented by several generations, but it's an amazing endeavor.
After our few outings, I spent time processing photographs and posting them to iNaturalist and the Odonata Central websites. The beauty of these sites is that there are networks of individuals that help with identification — something we relied upon as "larval stage" beginners.
Hunter also suggested carrying a copy of "Dragonflies Through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America," by Sidney Dunkle, which Hunter describes as a "gateway book for birdwatchers." From our participation this year, we know we've got a steep learning curve ahead, but we're inspired for next year's Olympics. Let the training begin!