Small Wonders of Summer

I once read that movement is the way to know if your yard has become a thriving habitat for critters, large and small. If you stop to observe, our yard looks like an airport during the holidays. Darting, diving, flying, hopping, and scurrying take place throughout the day and into the night. For some, this would be less than ideal, but for me, a wildlife gardener, this is what it's all about!

A few weeks ago, a parade of tiny leopard frogs hopped from the side yard toward our new water feature, a pondless waterfall that mimics the local rivers here. At the same time, I noticed a dragonfly flicking water at the vegetation with the end of her abdomen. It turns out that with every flick, she was depositing an egg and hurling it at the leaves of a plant nestled in the water.

Although I knew the addition of a water feature would bring all kinds of new activity, I have to admit, I was most excited for the arrival of damselflies and dragonflies. For years, one of my favorite activities with children has been pond dipping. We set out for the river or pond with nets and buckets. After filling our buckets, we sort through the critters and discuss water quality based on our findings. Dragonfly nymphs, also known as naiads, always warrant the loudest screams, some elated, some terrified. No matter the motivation, this is what educators refer to as a teachable moment, and I always take the opportunity to jump in!

Like butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies (odonates) have a three stage life cycle: egg, naiad, and adult. They often overwinter as naiads in rivers and ponds, and in some species remain in the naiad stage for as many as four years. Like caterpillars, their mission is to eat, grow, and molt. The dragonfly naiad has an extendable jaw that shoots out, capturing mosquito larvae, beetles, and even small fish. Now that is quite an adaptation!

The pictures below are from BugGuide.Net, a wonderful resource for insect identification. Notice the difference between the damselfly naiad with its three tails. The tails are actually feathery gills.

I haven't been able to find the eggs yet. In the beginning, they are tiny ovals, less than a millimeter in size. In two to four weeks they will hatch, and then I will start to look for naiads under rocks in the slower moving parts of the river. In the meantime, I will keep trying to identify the dragonflies and damselflies that have created a flyway through our yard, stopping to sun themselves on rocks or perch on branches.