Bryan's Posts About Dragonflies
Going Nuclear for Dragonflies
On a crisp, sunny day in September, after what was probably a typical summer for a dragonfly, a Common Green Darner took off and began to migrate south. As it cruised past the summit of Vermont’s Mt. Philo, with Lake Champlain below and the Adirondacks off in the distance, the dragonfly crossed paths with a Merlin.
Zebras and Us
When I saw this dragonfly, I wet my pants. Okay, I was standing in Lewis Creek, so that’s actually how I wet my pants. But this dragonfly makes me euphoric. And I’m not entirely sure why. So I’m developing a theory on wildlife and aesthetics.
A New Vermont Damselfly
The diversity of life in Vermont, at least what we know of it, is now a bit richer with the discovery of a new damselfly in the state.
Naked in Norway
In the Arctic life wanders close to earth. In the Arctic there are no hiding places. And in the Arctic Ruth and I find unspeakable beauty and biodiversity on a warming planet.
A New Vermont Dragonfly
Salute the flag. We’ve got a new dragonfly in Vermont – Banded Pennant (Celethemis fasciata) discovered by Laura Gaudette.
True North
You can lose your life in Norway — the life you might decide to leave behind for a new one here in true north.
Among Dead Insects (Again)
Although they’ve been dead for more than two centuries, there is life in these dragonflies. The life of a legendary biologist here in Copenhagen.
A Dragonfly and a Truck
Four wings, four wheels, 200,000 miles and yet another “guy thing” in Maine, NY.
DSA Update No. 5: Carnage & Closure
Here’s a parting shot from the 2014 DSA meeting in Wisconsin: dragonflies being dragonflies – flying around, having sex, and killing things, including one another.
DSA Update No. 4: Gomphicide
PICK ANY SCENE FROM THE DRAMA OF LIFE ON EARTH: birth, growth, courtship, sex, subterfuge, betrayal, murder. Find them all expressed in the lives of dragonflies. Shakespeare could write the script on these predators.
DSA Update No. 2: Other Orders
TICK NUMBER 26 made her fatal move while I was eating broasted chicken (whatever that is) and drinking a Bud at the Back Door Cafe in Ladysmith, Wisconsin.
DSA Update No. 1: The Gomphids
TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST ABOUT IT, the Annual Meeting of the Dragonfly Society of the Americas is really an excuse for a lot of nice people to cavort together in wetlands and rivers with nets and cameras.
