Project Dragonfly / Projet Libellule's Journal

This week's feature is a southern pygmy clubtail, photographed and logged by iNaturalist user dannyoshea near Fredericton, NB. It is a secretive inhabitant of forests adjacent to pristine, spring-fed brooks, seepages and small rivers. Southern pygmy clubtail larvae are intolerant of excessive sedimentation and therefore are excellent indicators of high quality waters.

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iNaturalist observers know—dragonflies are a common sight during Canadian summers, zooming around the skies to catch their insect prey and darting around wetlands, laying their eggs in and around the vegetation. But as summer weather turns to fall, some species like the common green darner begin their journeys south.

Click here to see how the full annual cycle of the common green darner is comprised of three generations: two that are migratory and one that is non-migratory.

Green darner photographed by awaysick

Les libellules sont légion durant l’été au Canada : elles arpentent le ciel pour attraper les insectes qui sont leurs proies et virevoltent dans les alentours des milieux humides, pour pondre leurs œufs dans la végétation et les environs. Mais lorsque l’été cède la place à l’automne, les espèces comme l’anax de juin ou anax précoce commencent leur migration dans le Sud.

Veuillez cliquer sur ce lien pour apprendre que tout le cycle annuel de l’anax de juin ou anax précoce est constitué de trois générations : deux générations migratrices et une génération non migratrice.

Photo de awaysick

This week's feature is an ebony jewelwing, photographed and logged by iNaturalist user awaysick in southern Ontario. Their brilliant metallic green bodies flash sunlight as they flit around streamside vegetation and their large black wings quickly attract attention. They are also short-lived, usually only living as a flying adult for about two weeks.

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This week's feature is an mustached clubtail, photographed and logged by iNaturalist user mikewerner near Elk Lake, Ontario. Mustached clubtails can often be found perched on rocks in or around streams and rivers, typically where the current is swift, or perched on the leaves of overhanging trees and bushes. They also frequently fly over riffles or rapids.

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This week's feature is an eastern forktail, photographed and logged by iNaturalist user mmunc near Ottawa, Ontario. Forktails like this species are among the smallest damselflies, and females are orange at the start of their winged-adult stage but eventually change to slate blue as they mature.

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Join the Project Dragonfly iNaturalist project now to celebrate dragonflies with us all summer long!

This week's feature is an slaty skimmer, photographed and logged by iNaturalist user kennedy_9 in Quebec. Slaty skimmer males are territorial and guard their mates, often from above. Females use their abdomens to flick their eggs into the water and toward shore.

Show your support by liking and commenting on our Observations of the Week on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, and follow us to learn more about Project Dragonfly and other iNaturalist projects.

Join the Project Dragonfly iNaturalist project now to celebrate dragonflies with us all summer long!