The Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust recently held a “Dragonfly Walk” on the Blitzer Conservation Easement in Bradford, NH. This was a great event for all, especially families with children.
We learned from Carrie and Andy Deegan the difference between dragonflies and damselflies. We learned that both spend the majority of their life underwater as nymphs. After perhaps 2 to 5 years in a pond they erupt as flying creatures for a brief flurry of eating and mating. They typically die in 2 to 4 weeks after they leave the pond.
Dragonflies are aggressive predators of insects. They are amazing flyers and can hover, fly forwards or backwards, and do some amazing mid-air maneuvers.
I learned a long time ago that dragonflies often have a favorite perch that they return to over and over. This is very handy when trying to photograph them. That is how I got the photo of the male Marsh Hawk Dragonfly shown here.
My wife and I could only stay for an hour and 15 minutes but while we were there a hawk grabbed a frog out of the pond, I photographed a singing house wren, and many children had as much fun with tadpoles in the pond as they did with those elusive dragonflies.
Here are some photos from the ASLPT event.
