Dragonflies and damselflies may be the essence of summer. Members of both of these gossamer-winged groups of insects flit and zoom around virtually every freshwater, aquatic habitat all summer. They are beautiful insects, but at the same time fierce predators of other flying insects and very beneficial. Better yet, since most species are active mid-day in bright sunshine, you don’t have to get up at 5 a.m. in the morning to watch them!
A great time to learn more about dragonflies and damselflies will be at the upcoming annual meeting of the Ohio Odonata Society on Saturday, June 21st at the West Woods Nature Center in Geauga County. Ohio has 164 species of dragonflies and damselflies, and Geauga County in northeastern Ohio has some of the best habitat and most interesting species to be found in the state. The group will meet at 9:00 am in the Oak Room at The West Woods Nature Center, 9465 Kinsman Road (Rte. 87), Russell, Ohio 44072. The day-long event is open to both members and non-members. We’ll start in the morning with several brief talks about dragonflies, followed by field trips in the afternoon to observe and photograph whatever species we can find. Come learn about these fascinating species and get tips in the field from some of Ohio’s best students of this group. Hosts are the Geauga Park District with the program organized by renowned nature photographer, Ian Adams. For more details, visit Ian Adams’ blog site here.
Bob Glotzhober
Curator Emeritus, Natural History
