Ohio Dragonfly Survey (Ohio Odonata Survey)

Hi everyone,

The rain has not stopped us! Despite the historic flooding and rain for what felt like most of May and June, we are getting record numbers of observations. This is perhaps in part due to even more people out looking and submitting observations. Thank you again for taking time to help us understand our dragonflies and damselflies.

Thanks also to our many identifiers on iNaturalist who are confirming our records and helping the newbies with identifications. (Props to @jimlem , @sallypsandpiper , and @joshualincoln , all of whom have contributed over 10,000 identifications!)

Dragons in the News:
- Jim McCormac wrote an article about dragonflies for the Columbus Dispatch last weekend where he highlights the Paiute Dancer and other weird rarities that are moving northward.
- Be sure to check out our blog posts on our survey page as we update them. There is a 2019 Progress Post and a Species Breakout post .

Save the Date!
Mark your calendars now! The 2020 Ohio Dragonfly Conference will be June 5-7 in Richland and surrounding counties. This is an easy drive along 71, and plenty of nice accommodations. The habitat of the area is pretty cool, with several Spiketails, Lilypad Forktails, and other fun beasts found in the area. It will be organized by Kyle Bailey (Current Ohio Odonata Society Vice President). If you want to give a talk or help out with conference organizing, send him an email at kbailey@richlandcountyoh.us

2019 Under-surveyed counties
As of a few days ago, Jim Lemon did an extraction from the iNaturalist data to show which counties have had the least attention this year. The following counties have had fewer than 30 observations submitted for this year: Belmont (1 observation!), Columbiana (6), Noble (7), Scioto (12), Lawrence (15), Putnam (16), Henry (19), Knox (20), Wood (20), Monroe (21), Tuscarawas (22), Erie (23), Sandusky (23), Ottawa (24), Mercer (25), Paulding (26), Vinton (26), Jefferson (30 observations).

Volunteer opportunities:
Do you want to help get more people excited about dragonflies and damselflies?
- Another Central Ohio volunteer is wanted for the Highbanks Metropark Outdoor Adventure on July 13th. We will have a table and outreach display for the Ohio Dragonfly Survey, but we currently only have one person signed up to help at this huge event. Any extra help is appreciated. Please email MaLisa at spring.99@osu.edu to confirm.
- If you want to give a presentation to a local group, MaLisa can provide you with prepared slides. She can also get you ODNR booklets and other survey outreach handouts. Send her an email at spring.99@osu.edu

Other upcoming events:
July 13: 8 PM -10 PM Insect Night Walk (Wooster, Ohio) Join the OSU entomology department to learn about cool bugs at this family friendly event. Make Maggot Art, pick a winner in the cockroach races, and have fun on a firefly walk. Free to the public. https://www.facebook.com/events/seacrest-arboretum/insect-night-walk/2396071537111524/
July 11, 2019 - 3:30-4:30 PM River Rarities: Stream Fun (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) Join MaLisa Spring, Knox County Park District, and ODNR’s Scenic Rivers Program in the shallow riffles of Millwood Water Access near 62. Get your feet wet (wear closed-toe shoes please!) and see some of our coolest river dragons up close! Limited numbers of nets will be provided for use during the program.
July 13: 9 AM - 4 PM Highbanks Metropark Outdoor Adventure (Lewis Center, Ohio) Celebrate healthy family living, connecting with nature and getting outside to play! Free to the public. https://www.10tv.com/article/10tv-metro-parks-outdoor-adventure
July 16 11AM Exploring Stream Life within Little Beaver Creek State Wild & Scenic River (East Liverpool, Ohio). Registration required here: https://www.onapa.org/onapa-field-trips.html
July 19-20 Coyote Run Bioblitz (Pickerington, Ohio) Join us to document as many species of all living organisms as we can in 24 hours! Make sure to register! https://www.ohwetlands.org/bioblitz-2019.html
July 20 Clean-Up at Delaware Lake (Delaware, Ohio) Use a canoe and kayak to help clean up the lake. Maybe even document some dragonflies while you are on the water? Register on their webpage. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/clean-up-at-delaware-lake-tickets-61152769580
July 21 Chadwick Arboretum Open House (Columbus, Ohio) Enjoy the annual arboretum open house for a chance to see dragonflies and damselflies.
July 27, 2019 2-3 PM Surveying for Dragonflies at Mill Stream Run Reservation (Berea, Ohio) Join Naturalist Marty Calabrese for another opportunity to observe dragonflies and damselflies. Observations will be uploaded to Ohio Odonata Survey via iNaturalist. ID skills not required. Nets provided. https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/parks/programs-events/2019/rrnc/july/ohio-dragonfly-survey-1
(more events the rest of the summer listed on the webpage)

Interested in joining us in the field for a smaller dragonfly outing?
Small group outings are regularly in the works, but I tend not to post them here as they are tentative and weather reliant. I (MaLisa) am planning to try to do an overnight trip on July 22 and 23, but the target location and taxa is TBD. Other regional coordinators are likely to have their own mini-outings planned, so consider reaching out to them.
I have also listed many of the Stream Quality Monitoring (SQM) Workshops from the ODNR Scenic Rivers programs on our events list. The program is focused on all aquatic "bugs", but you are likely to see some really cool dragons out on the streams with them. See their website for more information: http://watercraft.ohiodnr.gov/sqm
July SQM Workshops:
July 6 - Darby River
July 13 Little Miami
July 24 Stillwater River
July 25 Mohican River
More dates and sites for SQM can be found on their webpage.

Am I missing other water related events? Do you want one near you? Let me know and I will try to work something out!

Best wishes,
MaLisa Spring
State Coordinator of the Ohio Dragonfly Survey less ↑