WILLIAMSONIA _________________________________________________________________ Vol. 3 No. 3 Summer, 1999 A publication of the Michigan Odonata Survey _________________________________________________________________ DSA Meeting Report Late Summer Musings Mark O’Brien Mark O'Brien This year’s Dragonfly Society of the Americas annual As I sit down and write various bits for this issue of the meeting was held at Paul Smith’s College near Saranac newsletter, I am struck by the thought, “Where has the lake, NewYork, in the Adirondacks from July 8-10. There summer gone?” This is a familiar theme for all of us that was an impressive turnout of DSA members from all over have laid out plans for a summer, only to realize that there North America, and I had a chance to meet many people for are not enough days in the season to do all the things that the first time. Nearly 50 members attended, including Ethan Bright. My wife Adrienne and daughter Marjorie we had thought we would do back in March. Maybe I did also accompanied me this time, so Michigan was pretty not get out in the field one day a week as planned, but I did well represented! Unfortunately, for all of the hot weather enjoy those days I spent in the wetlands. Yes, dragonflies we endured in July, those two full days at the meeting were are a lot of fun, and there are so many great moments to cool and cloudy, and one was rainy! We managed to visit reflect upon. Maybe it was watching a Hagenius brevistylus some really nice habitats such as bogs, fens, and rivers. adult emerging along the AuSable River from a leaf-shaped Ethan picked up larvae of Boyeria grafiana, Ophiogomphus larval skin. Who could predict what the adult would look colubrinus, aspersus, and mainensis, in the shadow of the like based upon that odd-looking larva? Perhaps it was High Peaks region, and he had pretty good success stream watching hundreds of American rubyspots jostling for sampling. As far as collecting adults, that part was for me, position amongst the bushes along the Huron River, or disappointing. I grew up not 60 miles from where we were finally netting a monster Macromia taeniolata as it cruised staying, and I don’t recall having July weather like that! Nick Donnelly, the organizer, was jokingly blamed for the by like some emerald-eyed cruise missile. There was the weather, but I am sure the “Donnelly Effect” wore thin on satisfaction of tramping through the bog mat at Sayles Lake him by the end of the weekend. where Ethan and I watched dozens of minute Nannothemis bella adults flit through the sedges. Another fine moment I enjoyed the comraderie of the other Odonata enthusiasts, was seeing a Libellula incesta and L. cyanea perched about and met people from British Columbia and Prince Edward 8 inches apart on the same reed. I am sure many of the Island, who might have thought the weather was “normal.” readers have their own favorite moments of dragon- Adrienne and Marjorie were able to be tourists, and had a watching. great time in Lake Placid and Tupper Lake, while I was slogging through wet bogs and getting in over the tops of We watch dragonflies and labor to obtain specimens for the my waders along the AuSable River. I think they got the MOS because it’s fun. Not only are we curious about how better deal this time around. One evening we were treated to several slide-shows from travels in Asia and Australia, these winged marvels live, we attach significance to their and the photos of those species were really stunning. Neon- existence. How many people do you know that get excited blue wings are really something on a damselfly. about seeing a new little damselfly? How many do you know that will sit or stand for over an hour to watch the Sharing ideas with other odonatologists is one of the best intracacies of dragonfly politics on a pond? Even if you are aspects of the DSA meeting, and in that regard, I really had a long-time collector/observer, taking a few moments to a good experience. Nick and Ailsa Donnelly picked a great actually watch the animals go through their daily routine is spot for the meeting. Next year’s meeting will be held in still very rewarding, whether you are watching an Ischnura British Columbia, which if one can go, would be a verticalis daintily plucking aphids from a plant stem, or a wonderful place to visit. I am hoping that the MOS will be Plathemis lydia chasing potential rivals away from his able to sponsor a DSA meeting in Michigan within the perch. next few years. Hopefully, we won’t have two days of rain! Of course, it’s a great thrill to see a species you have never seen before, and I really envied Stephen Ross this past May Williamsonia, Summer 1999 1 Vol. 3, No. 3 as he kept me updated on his encounters with Williamsonia collecting season. I had hoped to finish it this spring, but I lintneri. With the ease of e-mail, such information no have been busy with many things. I did not want to just longer gets tucked away in someone’s field book, and of reprint the 1997 version, since it is too out of date, and I course, with our MOS community, sharing our observations want the next version to incorporate as many useful features becomes much more routine. One thing is for sure -- don’t as possible. Gone will be the old dot-maps, and in will be take anything for granted. Just because you may feel new at a spreadsheet of county records. There will also be better the game, doesn’t make your observations or participation keys and more assistance for the novices. I’ll also try to any less important. Because you are looking at dragonflies incorporate photographs of some of the species - Perhaps with “fresh” eyes, you may see behaviors that others may one for each genus -- I’ll let you know how that works out. have missed, or simply ignored, thinking that someone else has already reported it. That’s the fun of natural history -- serendipitous events can really add to our overall knowledge THE TOTAL AMATEUR'S ADVENTURES AT of a species. THE FIRST SYMPOSIUM OF THE As I look at our list of county records, one county in the INTERNATIONAL DRAGONFLY SOCIETY UP really stands out as bereft of collecting. Baraga Co. is MEETING AT COLGATE UNIVERSITY the least-collected UP county, and one person collecting there in mid-June to mid-July would probably haul in a Beverly Shepard couple of dozen new county records without working up much of a sweat. With the forestry research station in Papers presented at the meeting included an interesting mix L’Anse, there must be some specimens lying in a collection of subjects - showing the diversity of interests possible in somewhere. Part of the reason Baraga is under-collected the study of Dragonflies - informative for all. For an must be that it’s not usually a destination -- it’s between amateur, like me, if nothing else , it was most interesting to Marquette and Houghton, and there are not a lot of main become aware of the variety of interests possible in the study of Dragonflies. Let me mention, for those beginners, roads there. There is no lack of great habitat, though. I like myself, who attend this type of meeting - be sure you encourage anyone to go and collect there! take along a field guide or two. The value is that you can inform yourself via the pictures & general information of One useful approach to sharing observations has been the the little fellow who will be discussed in the next paper. Odonata mail-list run by Dennis paulson in Seattle ([email protected]). When anybody asks a question, How very well organized & how well run the entire meeting there are sure to be a half-dozen replies or more, and I have was- little unexpected problems were handled with panache learned a great deal about what others are doing in the field. by the Co-Chairs Dr. Victoria McMillan & Janet Rith- If you have not subscribed to that list, try it out. It really Najorian. Multiple complements to these ladies -they did a has been quite informative! really fine job. Assisted by members of both families,two Staff members & a couple of students all things were handled with courtesy and class. Well done too, were the evening meals which gave the foreign guests a view of dinners in the United States - one evening it was a Thanksgiving Day dinner, with all the trappings, a Southwestern dinner with its Mexican influences. And last but not least, a Square Dance with a real caller & the fiddlers et al. Colgate University - we're talking class & style in the Ivy League manner. Many of the builgings are built with stone from their own quarry atop the hill on the campus. All the buildings are charming inside & out regardless of the building material. The trips included during the week were much enjoyed. To the Rogers Enviornmental Center- to Cornell with stops along the way at state parks & wetlands. Even the breakdown of the buses, at about midnight, on their return Epitheca (Epicordulia) princeps from dinner at a winery was handled with good humor by all. Folks were about the campus with their nets which has I am working on the next edition of the MOS Surveyor’s Handbook, and it will likely be ready for the year 2000 Williamsonia, Summer 1999 2 Vol.