Field Gear: Optimizing Cephalic Protection
Ohio’s climate, and the unique path of human evolution, mean that naturalists need clothing, including head gear. This early April piece provides a decision model for choosing the optimal oda hat.
Using iNaturalist to Share Observation Locations
iNaturalist provides a powerful location mechanism that allows you to generate a map of all the observations within a specific area, using a variety of different filters, starting with taxa. Maps can be shared online or sent thru email.
Using Our County Pages
Each Ohio county page provides you with information to help you plan your observation excursions, and to interpret your findings. Understanding the conventions used in this site, and its relationship to iNaturalist, will help you make the most effective use of your field time.
Planning an Expedition
The Statistics & Records section of the Ohio Odonata Society web site can help you plan successful dragonfly expeditions.
Finding Publicly-Accessible Locations for Dragon Hunting
There are many different categories of potentially accessible habitat in Ohio, each of which has its own considerations, both in the initial identification, and in the conditions of use if you choose to visit.
Spring Dragons – What to Expect in March – April in Ohio
Understanding what will be flying can help you target the April/May species and make sure you don’t miss out on the ones with short flight dates
“Rare” Dragons – The Blue Corporal (Ladona deplanata)
Let’s talk about a weird dragonfly in Ohio. First officially documented in 1992, we have no earlier records of the Blue Corporal (Ladona deplanata).
Species Flight Distribution charts (part 2)
Individual Odonates only fly for a limited time – typically a number of days to a couple weeks. A few species can be seen flying through most of the season, and so are emerging from their wetland habitat with some regularity. As we record observations, these species data can be counted and plotted against date – and compared to others.
Species Flight Distribution Charts (Part 1)
It is important to know both where species are present, as well as when they occur. While some species are present through most of the Odonate season, many are limited to specific date periods. To this end, new species flight distribution charts have been created based on current Ohio Odonata Society data.
So you want to get a county record
Practical advice on how to find dragonflies where nobody has previously found them.
To collect or not to collect, that is the question
This post discusses the reasons why one might choose to collect Odonata or not do so.