A publication of the M ichigan O donata Survey

V olu me 9 Issu e 1 W i l l i a m s o n i a Winter 20 0 5

C anada D arner w ith unusual thorax pattern

Julie C raves University of M ichigan-D earborn jac@ rrbo.org

fter attending an ornithological m eeting in G rayling (C raw ford C o.) on 28 Aug A 2004, I had a little bit of tim e to hunt for odonata before heading back hom e. C onsulting a m ap, I chose to explore H ow e’s Lake, a sm all sandy lake north of M -72 w est of G rayling. There w asn’t a lot actually plying the lake itself, but the w et, grassy depressions near the lake shore had several species of Lestes, Saffon-w inged M eadow haw k (Sym petrum costiferum , a county record), and quite a few Aeshna’s pa- trolling lazily or ovipositing in the shallow w ater.

I netted a few C anada D arners (Aeshna canadensis), and som e Black-tipped D arners (A. tuberculifera, county record). It appeared that all the blue darners at the site w ere these tw o species, until I netted one w ith broken thoracic stripes, w hich I took to be a V ariable D arner (A. interrupta). W hen I returned hom e to sort through the speci- m ens, I turned this specim en over, I found that the other side of the thorax w as the standard C anada D arner pattern. A closer exam ination revealed that this w as in- Top: The side of the thorax with the broken stripes. Bottom: The side deed canadensis in all other characters, except that one side of the thorax. with typical A. canadensis pattern.

W hile I’ve found little on this phenom ena in the literature, it is apparently not w ithout precedent. For m e it under- scores the im portance of actually collecting specim ens – or in the least netting them and carefully exam ining them in the hand – in order to verify the identity. Even if I had seen this individual perched, I w ould have m isidentified it had I only seen the one side (V ariable D arner w ould have been a county record). This interesting specim en is in m y per- sonal reference collection. INSIDE: 2004 dragonflying in M ecosta C o. Twin-spotted Spiketail: Stephen Ross sight record for W ayne Co. Rodney, M I seross@ tucker-usa.com ID of Epitheca costalis

o say the least, dragonflying in M ecosta C ounty during 2004 T w as BO R -ring. It seem s this w as a fairly m iserable year statew ide. M y date range ran from April 16 for the first C om m on G reen D arner (Anax junius) and ended Novem ber 9 w ith the last few Autum n (Yellow -legged) M eadow haw ks (Sym petrum vicinum ) succum bing to the cold. This w as the first year w ith- out m y finding a county record since I began w orking the county in 1998. The closest to a record w as col-

(Continued on page 2) Williamsonia P age 2

M ecosta C o., cont.

(Continued from page 1) finding sixteen species, w ith several being conspicuously lacking. W hile w e found m ost of the usual suspects, both of lecting the first adult C yrano D arner (N asiaeschna pentacantha) us rem arked on how few of each species w ere present. I also for the county. O ne had been photographed in June 1998 and canoed the sam e sections on July 23 w ith Pat C ady and found a larval record w as collected in 1999. the stream odonate fauna rem arkably lacking, finding only a few individuals of each of ten species. A trip dow n the M us-

kegon from Paris to Big R apids on July 20 found only sm all I visited the tw o R inged Boghaunter (W illiam sonia lintneri) num bers of six species of dam sels. The only dragonfly w as sites four tim es in late April and early M ay on the few w arm one D ragonhunter (H agenius brevistylus). Several G om phids, days that occurred during that tim e. None w ere found, nor M acrom ia, and Stylurids should have been observed. w ere any in 2003. D ip netting for larvae here produced only a

few underdeveloped Libellulids. I’m not sure enough is know n about W . lintneri to be w orried that these sites have In the UP, I had som ew hat better luck, during m y third sur- lost their populations; perhaps they are just cyclical and can vey of the O ttaw a National Forest for the Forest Service. This arrest developm ent until conditions are right. year I w as w orking the Three C orners V egetative M anage- m ent Project w here O ntonagon, Iron, and G ogebic counties com e together. Through the haze of deerflies, m osquitoes, Though the lakes w ere periodically good, for the m ost part, and the ticks craw ling through m y clothes, I found tw o of the they seem ed lacking and the hatches later than expected. eight target species. O ne, the M idland C lubtail (G om phus frat- H anna Lake, w here I logged 26 species in about tw o hours in ernus), seem ed to be at peak of em ergence, w ith about 150 2003, w as quite disappointing this year on three visits, eleven observed in roadside and open ar- species being the highest num ber found. The one exception eas along the O ntonagon R iver. w as a July 21 visit to Tow nline Lake w here an em ergence of Five O cellated Em eralds Enallagm as w as going on. E. carunculatum , E traviatum , E. hageni, (Som atochlora m inor) w ere also and E. gem inatum w ere found good num bers. O therw ise, I found am ong the alders and sedge found lake and nearby open areas around the county to be m eadow s of M cG inty C reek. I also significantly dim inished from past visits. caught several Subarctic Bluets (Coenagrion interrogatum ) a county The stream s, such as the M uskegon and Little M uskegon record for Iron C ounty and one of R iver, and a m odest stream I visit in C olfax Tow nship, w ere the few tim es this species has been seem ingly devoid of odes this year. The county experienced captured in the UP. considerably m ore rain than usual this spring, and tem pera- In case you were wonder- ing, “Where in the heck is tures w ere cool, resulting in stream s over their banks w ell Though butterfly collecting during Mecosta Co.?” into June. I agree w ith M ark O ’Brien’s contention that m uch this year seem ed to be w orse than of the stream odonate fauna m ay have been w ashed dow n- dragonfly collecting, I located eight lep records for the UP stream , killed in the process or becam e food for fish. w hile doing m y odonate survey. These w ere C anada Sw al- low tail (Papilio Canadensis), Little W ood Satyr (M egisto cy- C arl Freem an and I canoed the Little M uskegon on June 18, m ela), Silvery C heckerspot (Chlosyne nycteis), Inornate R inglet (Coenonym pha tullia inornata), M onarch (D anaus plexippus), H o- bom ok Skipper (Poanes hobom ock), D ream y D uskyw ing (Erynnis icelus), and Taw ny-edged Skipper (Polites them istocles).

C loser to hom e, I participated in the BioBlitz at C hippew a Nature C enter on Septem ber 18. D ragonflies w ere also con- spicuously absent here, especially Aeshnids, despite very good habitats for ode hunting. The best find w as a county record of a C alico Pennant (Celthem is elisa) w hich w as also a significantly late record. The area of the confluence of the Pine and C hippew a R ivers did hold a num ber of Am erican R ubyspots (H etaerina am ericana) and Pow dered D ancers (Argia m oesta).

W illiam sonia P age 3

T w in-spotted Spiketail: N ew sight record for Wayne C ounty and a record late date

Allen C hartier am azilia1@ com cast.net

he Tw in-spotted Spiketail (Cordulegaster m aculata) has been recorded from m ost of the UP and northern LP T counties in M ichigan, and from about a third of the southern LP counties (14), including six in the southeast (M O S w ebsite).

O n the cool m orning (58° F, ~9:00 AM EST) of 22 Aug 2004, w hile checking m ist nets at m y bird banding station in a closed area of Lake Erie M etro Park, W ayne C o., I encountered a Tw in-spotted Spiketail hunting over an open grassy field surrounded by shrub, hedgerow , and w oodland. Initially, I thought it w as the C anada D arner (Aeshna canadensis) that I had seen a short tim e earlier. But, w hen it landed near m e I im m ediately saw the paired yellow triangular spots on the abdom en and I suspected it w as a Cordulegaster instead, but I w asn’t sure w hich species. I got m y digital cam - era out of the car and took a few photos, hoping to identify it w hen I got hom e, as I had no dragonfly references handy. D ue to the tem perature, it w as very cooperative. I then turned m y attention back to the bird I needed to band at that m om ent. I did not take the spiketail as a specim en because I had no w ay to keep it from getting dam - aged, and m y purpose this day w as bird banding, not dragonfly collecting. I determ ined the species once I got hom e, and also determ ined that it w as a m ale. C olor photos of this individual can be view ed on m y w ebsite at: w w w .am azilia.net/im ages/Inverts/O donata/C ordulegaster_m aculata.htm .

The flight period for the Tw in-spotted Spiketail in our region is described as late M ay through the end of July (H older 1996, Legler 1998, M ead 2003), and to early August in New H am pshire (D unkle 2000). This is likely a record late date in our region, and possibly w ithin the entire range of the species.

M ead (2003) describes the habitat for C. m aculata as “clean, clear stream s and sm all rivers in w ooded areas…” To the w est of the site (w ithin 0.25 m ile) is an area of freshw ater m arsh that drains south into the H uron R iver, and to the south of the site (also w ithin 0.25 m ile) is a w ooded creek near the Pte. M ouillee State G am e Area H eadquarters w hich also drains southeast into the m outh of the H uron R iver. M ore freshw ater m arsh and a stream (not w ooded) that drains into Lake Erie occurs to the east of the site. To the north is an open w oodland, and a golf course is to the northw est. It seem s possible that stream s in this area could have provided breeding habitat for the species, though it seem s equally possible that this individual w as sim ply a very tardy vagrant.

Literature C ited

D unkle, S. 2000. D ragonflies through Binoculars. O xford University Press. New York, NY.

H older, M . 1996. The D ragonflies and D am selflies of Algonquin Provincial Park. Algonquin Park Tech. Bull. No. 11. Friends of Algonquin Park.

Legler, K and D . and D . W estover. 1998. C olor G uide to C om m on D ragonflies of W isconsin.

M ead, K . 2003. D ragonflies of the North W oods. K ollath-Stensaas Publishers, D uluth, M N.

Ed. note: C anada D arner w ould also be a county record; there are currently only old literature records. Allen’s C an- ada w as not netted or photographed, so this species rem ains unverified for the county. Williamsonia P age 4

T ips and tricks of the trade A continuation in our series...

pecimen boxes. For specim en boxes in the field, I use M axalt cases. M ax- S alt is a m igraine headache m edicine. I get m y boxes from a pharm acist. They com e in tw o sizes, and the w ider one w ill hold about three or four large or eight m id-sized dragonflies in standard glassine envelopes, or about a dozen dam sels. The boxes are slightly curved so they fit your pocket w ell.

Another specim en box I have found recently is C abella’s m edium size fly box (#TR -31-5614 003 for $4.99 each, 2004 spring-sum m er fly fishing catalog). It m easures 5 3/8 by 3 3/4 by 1 3/8 inches (there is also a size sm aller and a size larger box available). This w ill hold about 15-20 specim ens w ithout crow ding. Though I have not used this yet, it fits nicely in the pocket of field pants and the field shirt described below . They com e w ith glued-in Styrofoam inserts that can be cleanly rem oved w ith a little effort. – Stephen R oss, M ecosta C o., M I This year’s ield shirts. I have long been looking for a good field shirt. I have obtained first-of-season F several from such outfits as TravelSm ith, C olum bia, and C abella’s. All Common Green have one problem : breast pocket flaps that w ill not fit over or close on a field Darner was seen notebook. C abella’s sells the Ultim ate G uide shirt in their 2004 spring- by Margi sum m er fly fishing catalog w ith pockets that are large enough for a R ite-in- Chriscinske on the-R ain notebook and the C abella’s fly box m entioned above. These sell for April 9 in Ann $49.95 (#TR -90-2551) and com e in several colors. They also have zippered com partm ents below the pockets. (D on’t confuse this w ith their regular

Arbor. G uide shirt, w hich has the sm aller pockets). If you don’t m ind looking like a fisherm an, this is the shirt. – Stephen R oss, M ecosta C o., M I

handy lens. A hand lens is an essential tool to identify m any odes in the A hand. Fishing around for a hand lens in your pack is a pain. I solved this problem by purchasing a retractable cord used for corporate nam e badges, available at office supply stores. O ne end is attached to m y pack, the other to the hand lens. Thus, the lens is alw ays handy and can’t get lost. – Julie C raves, W ayne C o., M I

o sw eat. This tip is not specifically for those w orking w ith odes, but N can apply to any field w ork in hot w eather. I recently attended the m e- m orial service for the father of a friend. Attendees w ere rem inded of Sterling C um m ing’s m any novel habits. O ne w as preventing a dam p forehead and un- sightly stains on his hat w hile w orking outdoors by applying a thin, absor- bent, disposable, adhesive-backed pad to the inside of the sw eat band of his hats. These item s are usually m arketed as w om en’s pantyliners, but obviously have other practical uses for those w ho like to think out of the box. – Julie C raves, W ayne C o., M I Williamsonia P age 5

Book R eview : D amselflies of A lberta – Flying N eon T oothpicks in the G rass

D am selflies of Alberta – Flying N eon Toothpicks in the G rass, by John Acorn. 2004. 156 pp., softcover, University of Alberta Press (w w w .uap.ualberta.ca); ISBN 0-88864-419- 1. ($29.95 C anadian).

I truly enjoy reading an entom ology book w ritten w ith enthusiasm about the sub- ject, and m oreover, that dam selflies are the subject m akes it even m ore attractive. John Acorn is an entom ologist in Alberta. H e’s one of those figures in m y profes- sion that pop up now and then w ith an interesting article on the life history of an insect, or a new book about som e related subjects. Until recently, I did not realize that he w as also an avid odonatologist. John has authored “D am selflies of Alberta – Flying N eon Toothpicks in the G rass,” and the book, like its subjects in the title, is a gem . John is the anti-Needham . H e w rites w ith hum or and honesty, and despite the sim plicity of the m ain title, this is no m undane listing of the critters from a re- gion w ith m aps and photos. In m any respects, he m akes the reader feel as though he w ere on a field trip, as the text is not the least bit dry. The introductory chapters on biology, ecology, and behavior are very w ell w ritten, fun to read, and are probably som e of the best w ritten generalized accounts on dam selflies that I have read. I can only find a couple of faults – in several photos, the im ages look pixelated, so I am guessing that som e low -resolution versions of photographs w ere enlarged.

There are only 22 species of Z ygoptera in Alberta – it’s a lot farther north than M ichigan, and a lot of spe- cies that w e have drop out before they get that far north. For a sm all fauna, there have been a num ber of characters in Alberta that have studied them , and the author has a nice historical section on the people that have w orked there. Follow ing that is a really nice section on how to study dam selflies. H e’s sensitive to those that do not w ant to collect, but obviously, he m akes a good case for w hy w e should take specim ens.

The section w ith species accounts is also easy to use, and contains a great deal of inform ation from data gathered in Alberta on behavior, physiology, and ecology. The m aps show Alberta and North Am erica sepa- rately, so one gets a feel for the entire range of a species, not just w here it is in one C anadian province. Each species’ synopsis has a pronunciation guide, identification tips, etym ology, ecology, notes on that species, and of course, a color photograph. A supplem ental key is w ritten for easy reading, and is very w ell done. A glossary and references round out the latter part of the book. But w ait--- there’s m ore. At the very end is a gallery of illustrations show ing dorsal view s of the species in all their various color m orphs, as w ell as a se- lected group of m ale claspers. As m any of you now know , m any species of O donata have different color phases, w hich change as the insects m ature, and of course, w ill also differ betw een the sexes.

The D am selflies of Alberta is an enjoyable book. It w ill introduce you to the sm all w orld of dam selflies, and the larger role that they play in ecosystem s. John Acorn’s account of their biology and distribution in Al- berta is not at all provincial. There are m any gem s to gleam from his prose, and I highly recom m end this book. It is m y surprise read for 2005. — R eview by M ark O ’Brien, Insect D ivision, M useum of Z oology, University of M ichigan, Ann Arbor, M I 48109-1079.

Ed. N ote: M ark om its w hat m ight be the m ost unusual aspect of this book. Each species account begins w ith an original lim erick. I’m not saying they are great, but they sure are different! — J.A.C . Williamsonia P age 6 O do-blogging

Perhaps it’s faddish, but M ark O ’Brien and Julie C raves — both desperate to appear young and hip — have joined the blogging craze, each by establish- ing online w eb logs (“blogs”) devoted to odonata. M ark’s is entitled M ichigan O donotes (http://m ichodo.blogspot.com ), and focuses on M ichigan odonata and (even flim sily) related topics. Julie, authoring under the alias “Nannothem is” along w ith her husband D arrin O ’Brien (m asquerading as “Stylurus”), is chronicling her adventures in search of odes in U rban D ragon H unters (http://urbanodes.blogspot.com ). She’s already blogged about insects in Texas, so don’t expect her to stick to her geographic focus.

A quick survey of blog search engines revealed that there are few blogs about insects, and apparently M ichigan O donotes and Urban D ragon H unters are the only ones out there show casing odonata. An ex- am ination of com m on blog-topic searches also revealed that nobody is looking for blogs on odonata, either (although one search engine show ed 6,811 inquiries on crayfish). But never m ind that! C learly, M ark and Julie are trendsetters. Surf on over, take a look, and leave encouraging com m ents! Williamsonia P age 7 H ow to identify Epitheca costalis

M ark O ’Brien abdom inal segm ent, but that species has a sm all spine M useum of Z oology, Insect D ivision on the cercus, w hich is quite obvious w ith a hand lens. University of M ichigan, Ann Arbor, M I 48109 The figures below (Fig. 1) illustrate the differences. M ales of E. canis are easiest to distinguish on the basis

of genitalia, since the cerci look like a dog’s head in ntil very recently, there w ere only three species profile. of Epitheca (Tetragoneuria)** that could be found in U M ichigan, excluding the large Prince Baskettail, Epitheca (Epicordulia) princeps (K orm ondy 1959, O ’Brien H abitats -- I do not see any appreciable differences in 1997). These three sm aller species are som ew hat sim i- habitats -- I collected E. costalis specim ens near sm all lar in overall appearance, but differences in w ing col- m an-m ade ponds as w ell as a section of a m illpond on oration and genitalia m orphology m ake it quite easy to the R iver R aisin in W ashtenaw C o. Epitheca adults are identify them (K orm ondy 1959). H ow ever, all that usually found along the m argins in m ost ponds and changed in 2003, w hen Nick D onnelly (2003) found lakes w ith adequate organic substrate and vegetation specim ens from O hio of w hat he considered inter- along the m argins. grades and som e m ore or less typical specim ens of Epi- theca costalis. H e then asked m e to look in our collection Flight periods – If E. costalis w ere flying at a later period to see if w e had any specim ens that w ere identified as than the others, it w ould m ake life easier. H ow ever, E. cynosura, but m ight just be E. costalis. This w as cov- they are flying at the sam e tim e as the other species of ered in W illiam sonia (O ’Brien 2004). The short story is the genus – late spring to early sum m er. Figure 2 pre- that w e apparently D O have populations here in sents the flight periods for E. spinigera and E. cynosura in M ichigan of w hat D onnelly believes are E. costalis. M ichigan – the tw o species w hich are likely to be seen These populations are m ost likely in the southeastern w ith E. costalis. part of M ichigan, but it is just as likely that they could also be found in the southw estern part of the state. C ollections -- I suggest that anyone w ishing to collect specim ens of E. costalis m ake sure they save a few in at The best w ay to separate Epitheca costalis from cynosura least 75% ethanol. That w ay, they could be used for is by the narrow ed third abdom inal segm ent of costalis. anyone w ishing to conduct genetic analysis in the fu- The m ale genitalia are sim ilar, but do differ slightly. ture. K eeping vouchers has never had a better case Epitheca cynosura m ales have a som ew hat blunted tip to m ade for it than by this appearance of E. costalis in the cerci (claspers), w hereas E. costalis the cerci tips are M ichigan. Im agine if w e had not kept any, and just narrow ed apically, and they are m ore elongate than based our records on sight ID . That's one of the rea- cynosura. Epitheca spinigera also has a narrow ed third sons vouchers are im portant -- they support one of the foundations of scientific inquiry - the ability to repeat or review a fact. W ithout vouchers, w e w ill never K ey to M ales of Epitheca (T etragoneuria) figure this m ess out! If you observe sw arm s of Epitheca, catch som e and
1 Third abdom inal segm ent noticeably narrow ed across the w idth — 2 see w hat species are represented in
1' Third abdom inal segm ent not narrow er than adjacent segm ents — 3 the sw arm s – is it all one species or a
2 C erci w ith ventral spine = Epitheca spinigera m ixed lot? If you do catch w hat you believe are E. costalis, are other Epi-
2' C erci w ithout spine = Epitheca costalis theca species flying nearby?
3 C erci bent, subapical tooth, - in profile looks like a dog’s head = Epitheca canis **(Note- I am using the generic as-
3' C erci elongate, no teeth = Epitheca cynosura signm ent of Epitheca, not Tetragoneu- (Continued on page 8) Williamsonia P age 8 H ow to identify Epitheca costalis

(Continued from page 7) ria, w hich is used in Needham et al. 2000. No system atic proposal w as m ade to elevate Tetragoneuria back to full ge- neric status. It w as just kept the sam e nam e that w as used in earlier editions of Needham and W estfall. That alone does not constitute a change in nom enclature.)

Literature C ited D onnelly, T. 2003. Problem s w ith Tetragoneuria! Argia: 14(4):10-11.

K orm ondy, E. J. 1959. The system atics of Tetragoneuria, based on ecological, life history, and m orphological evidence. M isc. Publ. M us. Z ool. Univ. M ich. 107: 1-79.

Needham , J.G , M .J. W estfall, Jr., and M .L. M ay. 2000. D ragonflies of N orth Am erica, revised edition. Scientific Publishers, G aines- ville, FL 939 pp.

O ’Brien, M .F. 1997. M ichigan O donata Survey C ollector’s H andbook. 78 pp.

O ’Brien, M .F. 2004. Epitheca costalis (Stripe-w inged Baskettail) in M ichigan: Update. W illiam sonia 8(3):1-2.

Figure 2 on next page. Williamsonia P age 9

H ow to identify Epitheca costalis, conclusion

Figure 2. Flight dates of two species of baskettails likely to fly simul- taneously with Stripe-winged Baskettail (E. costalis): Spiny Baskettail (top) and Common Baskettail (bottom). Y axes are number of re- cords.

Williamsonia P age 10 U pcoming M eeting

2005 D SA N ational M eeting 8-12 July 2005 A rnprior, O ntario, C anada Paul C atling (catlingp@ agr.gc.ca), C olin Jones, Brenda K ostiuk It is a great pleasure for us to w elcom e the D SA to C anada. Useful inform ation is sum m arized below . Please contact us if you have any questions.

The Place and the fauna: The tow n of Arnprior (w w w .arnprior.ca/) is situated on the O ttaw a R iver at the m outh of the M adaw aska R iver. W ithin 50 m iles, 110 species of dragonflies have been recorded. O ntario has 168 species (one w ith tw o subspecies). In tow n on the G illies w alking trail beside the river (and w ithin several blocks of the our conference hotel) is a spectacular natural forest of W hite Pines over 100 years old on the high banks of the O ttaw a R iver. Along the river beside this w oodland, locally called "The G rove", up to 30 Elusive C lubtails (Stylurus notatus) em erge in only 10 m of shoreline (num ber 44 on the w ebsite "tow nm ap" - click on com m unity for the m ap). O ther species often associated with rivers such as G om phus fraternus and G om phus vastus are also present on the river and so is the dusk-flying N eurocordulia yam askanensis. Several dragonflies w ith rather restricted North Am erican dis- tributions are present in the area including Arigom phus cornutus, Arigom phus furcifer, G om phus borealis, O phiogom phus anom alus, Cor- dulegaster diastatops and N eurocordulia m ichaeli. Bogs, fens and a variety of w etlands in the im m ediate vicinity w ill produce m any other species including the sm allest dragonfly in the north, the Elfin Skim m er (N annothem is bella). W e w ill be w atching for G om - phus ventricosus last seen on the O ttaw a R iver m any decades ago. O n other rivers w e w ill be looking for the first O ntario records of O phiogom phus how ei and O phiogom phus aspersus. W illiam sonia lintneri m ay be w aiting to be discovered in a nearby bog.

Plan for the m eeting: Attendees w ill arrive and register in the evening of 8 July and depart on m orning of 12 July. Tw o days w ill be spent on field ex- ploration. Although the field trips have not yet been com pletely arranged, w e w ill likely visit the Petaw aw a R iver, the M issis- sippi R iver, W hite Lake Fen, Beachburg Pools, and W estm eath bog as w ell as sm all w oodland springs and lake shores. W e w ill m ake a special attem pt to see som e of the boreal species w hich occur in the region, such as Coenagrion interrogatum w hich barely occurs in the United States (even Alaska!). Insect repellant, bug jackets, sun screen, lunch, drinks, appropriate clothing and extr- tra (dry) clothes w ill be needed on field days, as w ell as cam eras, binoculars and nets.

There w ill be a banquet or BBQ on the last day and an evening program . O ne day w ill be devoted to both popular and scientific presentations and w orkshops. All w ill require scheduling and an official "call for papers" (presentations, w orkshops, etc), includ- ing brief abstract, w ill be sent out in the next new sletter. It is now 10 m onths aw ay - not a bad tim e to start to prepare a presen- tation! There w ill be a m eeting room w ith display area. Anyone w ishing to put on a display or put up a poster should contact us to ensure space availability and other requirem ents (tables, electrical outlets).

Post C onference Trip: O n 12 July, a 2-3 day post-conference field trip w ill depart, probably for areas to the north. The plans w ill be finalized by partici- pants just before and during the m eeting. It is likely that the group w ill be studying diversity in particular habitats such as fens and /or rivers. There is a possibility that tw o Em eralds not previously recorded in O ntario (S. hineana and S. brevicincta) occur in fens of the Lake Tim iskam ing region about 180 m iles NW of Arnprior.

Travel: Field travel arrangem ents w ill be m ade for anyone w ithout transportation during the m eeting. It takes 50 m inutes to travel from the O ttaw a airport to Arnprior. Take the airport expressw ay to Q ueensw ay W est (w hich becom es H w y 417) and proceed di- rectly to Arnprior (do not take the hw y 7 exit to Toronto). The cab fare from the airport to Arnprior is C D N$ 114.00. C ar rental (Budget, Avis , H ertz, etc) is available at the airport (see under "ground transport" after "w elcom e" at the airport w ebsite) and costs C D N$ 75.00 per day (sm all car, 1 driver, 250 km per day free, $ 0.12 per additional km ) . The least expensive w ay to get to Arnprior is to take a bus from the airport to the bus term inal in O ttaw a on C atherine Street, then take the G reyhound bus to

(Continued on page 12)

Williamsonia P age 11 New illustrations for w eb site and future guide(s)

M ark O ’Brien M useum of Z oology, Insect D ivision University of M ichigan, Ann Arbor, M I 48109

his past sem ester I had the good fortune to find a stu- T dent (or rather the student found m e) that w as inter- ested in illustration of insects. W ell, that has alw ays been the one part of this project that has been the slow est in developing – illustrating som e of the species that occur here, especially as im m atures. Susan Faw cett has been helping to im prove our online w eb key to the O donata lar- vae of M ichigan by m aking pen and ink illustrations of som e of the species that had not yet been pictured on our w eb pages. I had Susan focus on a few genera that needed illustrating – Som atochlora, Stylurus, and Arigom phus. Unfor- tunately, w e did not have specim ens all of the species listed in our key, but w e did have m ost of them , so Susan w as able to m ake som e great additions that w ill eventually be incorporated into the w eb pages. I w as able to borrow specim ens of Som atochlora hineana from the Illinois State M useum , so w e w ere able to include those. If w e w ere to do additional illustrations in the sam e style, w e’d have to do som e fund-raising, as I paid Susan out of the M O S Ac- count. I hope you appreciate these sam ples here, w hich have been reduced to fit on this page. If you believe that w e should proceed w ith m any m ore pen and ink im ages, let m e know , and please m ake a donation so that w e can pay artists for their w ork. Williamsonia P age 12

M eeting, cont. A publication of the M ichigan O donata Survey M ichigan O donata Survey (Continued from page 10) Michigan Odonata Survey Arnprior. Local bus schedules are available at the airport. C urrently the c/o Museum of Zoology -- Insect Division fare to travel dow ntow n is 2 tickets ($ 1.80 at the transportation desk on University of Michigan level 1 or $ 2.60 in exact change) and inform ation on the G reyhound bus is Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079 Phone: 734-647-2199 available from G reyhound (800-661-TR IP.) The buses travel to and from insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/MICHODO/MOS.HTML Arnprior about 3 tim es a day and the cost one w ay is C D N$ 20.00.

Editor: Accom m odation: Julie Craves Rouge River Bird Observatory The m ain conference facility w ill be the Q uality Inn on 70 M adaw aska University of Michigan-Dearborn Blvd (num ber 27 on the w ebsite "tow nm ap" - w w w .arnprior.ca/- click on Dearborn, MI 48128 "com m unity" for the m ap): The cost of the double occupancy room s is [email protected] C D N$ 95.20 and this includes 12% taxes. Sixty room s have been reserved for attendees (July 8 to 11 inclusive) but the reservations w ill only last un- R egents of the U niversity: til 8 M ay (60 day hold). C all 613 -623-7991 to book a room . For m ore infor- m ation visit the Inn's w ebsite at w w w .arnpriorqualityinn.com /. Attendees D avid A. Brandon should confirm costs w ith the Inn nearer to the m eeting date since there is Laurence B. D eitch alw ays a possibility that the cost of accom m odation w ill be reduced som e- D aniel D . H orning w hat. It is also necessary to indicate attendance at D SA in order to qualify O livia P. M aynard for the reasonable deal that has already been negotiated. Alternative m otel R ebecca M cG ow an accom m odation several blocks aw ay on D aniel Street includes Tw in M a- Andrea Fischer New m an ples M otel (613-623-4271) and Arnprior M otor Inn (613-623-7906). There S. M artin Taylor is also the C ountry Squire M otel (613-623-6556) on the edge of tow n near the Trans-C anada H ighw ay. These alternatives are about C D N$ 20-30 less K atherine E. W hite per night but have less facilities.

C am ping is available in Fitzroy H arbour Provincial Park (w w w .ontarioparks.com /english/fitz-facilities.htm l) 10 m iles NE of tow n. The electrical sites are C D N$ 27.25, non-electrical C D N$ 23.25 (2004 rates) and show ers, laundry facilities, park store and playground are avail- able. C am psite reservations can be m ade up to 5 m onths beforehand (and reservations should be m ade m onths ahead) by calling the reservation num ber 1-888-668-7275. The C D N$ 12.00 reservation fee is non- refundable. For m ore inform ation on the park and m ap, see the w ebsite.

Facilities: The tow n has several restaurants, a few nice pubs, lots of shops, a m all, and can supply m ost shopping requirem ents. For fam ilies there is a m u- seum and recreational centre w ith pool in tow n (see the Nick Sm ith C en- tre on the w eb site). There are w alking trails in tow n and m aps and trail guides are available in the m otels, at the m useum and elsew here. O utside tow n, younger children w ill enjoy storyland park (w w w .storyland.on.ca/) (1-800-205-3695), the fishing at the O peongo M ountain Trout Farm (w w w .om tf.on.ca/, 613-754-5241 ), exploring the Bonnechere C aves (w w w .bonnecherecaves.com /, 800-469-2283) and sw im m ing at the Tooey Lake picnic area near D acre. There is w hite-w ater rafting (w w w .w ildernesstours.com / or w w w .ottaw aadventure.com /) on the O t- taw a for the m ore adventurous. The D iefenbunker, C anada's C old W ar M useum near the tow n of C arp, m ay also be of interest (w w w .diefenbunker.ca/) . Nearby Pakenham boasts the only five-arch stone bridge in North Am erica (and has G om phus quadricolor flying through the arches). For those w ishing to visit C anada's capital before or after the m eeting there is a great deal to do (ottaw akiosk.com /).