At the SI Museum's Nature Section meeting on September 25, Seth Wollney made the announcement that the Section will be undertaking a five year study of dragonflies on Staten Island beginning in April 2009. The citizen science project will be called the Staten Island Dragonfly Atlas (SIDA) and will try to better understand the general distribution and abundance of dragonflies on the Island. A migration study will be a component of the study. Four lectures and four field work sessions will be offered and a portal for the collection and analysis of data is being developed.
William T. Davis, a founder of the SI Museum, published a list of Odonata, suborder Anisoptera, in 1898 and 1913. We are fortunate that a one hundred year comparison can be done.
Paul Lederer, SI Museum Researcher who has been observing and collecting dragonflies for the last 12 years, gave a lecture and slide show on the clear wing dragonflies of Staten Island. He talked about how to ID and about the habits of the dragonflies.
To prepare for the 2009 study, there will be an identification workshop for Sympetrums (meadowhawks) at Long Pond on Sunday, 9/28, at 10 AM.
Catherine Barron
Recording Secretary
Nature Section
Friday, September 26, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Wolfe's Pond Park Dragonfly Study
On Sunday, September 21, 2008, five member of the Nature Section met at Wolfe's Pond Park for what have become very enjoyable field experiences. We were joined by a new face to the SI Dragonfly Atlas, Wayne Mones. After spending sometimes looking at many blue dasher, a few eastern pondhawk, and a common green darner engaging in their daily behaviors, we visited the bluffs in hopes of observing some migration behavior!
We were graced with many black saddlebags, wandering glider, and common green darners "staging" along the low bluffs. Black saddlebags were parching in the vegetation, affording us extended periods of observation of a species that spends most of its time on the wing. I was actually about to net one as it flew by, so was able to get a chance to see the species up close.
The next Nature Section meeting on September 25th will feature a lecture by Paul Lederer, Museum Researcher, and local dragonfly expert! The meeting starts at 7:30pm at the Staten Island Museum, 75 Stuyvesant Place.
-Seth Wollney
Section of Natural History
Staten Island Museum
We were graced with many black saddlebags, wandering glider, and common green darners "staging" along the low bluffs. Black saddlebags were parching in the vegetation, affording us extended periods of observation of a species that spends most of its time on the wing. I was actually about to net one as it flew by, so was able to get a chance to see the species up close.
The next Nature Section meeting on September 25th will feature a lecture by Paul Lederer, Museum Researcher, and local dragonfly expert! The meeting starts at 7:30pm at the Staten Island Museum, 75 Stuyvesant Place.
-Seth Wollney
Section of Natural History
Staten Island Museum
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