MDP invites you to help us learn about the seasonal movements and life histories of migratory species by participating in Pond Watch.  You might think of migration as a fall event, but in springtime, migratory dragonflies that spent the winter in warmer climes return to the north. Because these flights are more diffuse and widespread than the large fall migrations, it's easy to miss the first returning spring migrants.

Migrant adults are on the wing in spring before resident members of the species have warmed up out of their winter hibernation and completed development. With Pond Watch, people visit a local wetland or pond on a regular basis and continually note the presence (or absence!) of the five main migratory species in North America. By making observations throughout the year, Pond Watch volunteers can note the first mature adult migrants arriving from the south, and also note when resident adults of these species emerge locally, helping us learn more about the relationship between resident and migratory members of the same species.

Help MDP unravel the mystery of dragonfly migration!

Volunteer citizen scientists submit their notes and photographs to the Pond Watch section of the MDP web site. Observations may include sightings of adults as well as nymphs and exuviae (the cast-off skin of the nymph left behind when the adult emerges), as these provide evidence of breeding at a site. Additionally, physical specimens of adults, nymphs, or exuviae can be collected for use in the Stable Isotope Project. Look for a new field guide in the coming months to help participants identify nymphs and exuviae of migratory species at their ponds. Pond Watch and isotope data together will help reveal more about migratory species' life history, development, and associations with resident dragonflies.   

 

 

 

Spring migrants are on the move. As the weather warms, visit your local pond and submit your observations of the following five migratory species by registering your site on the MDP website: Common Green Darner, Black Saddlebags, Wandering Glider, Spot-winged Glider, and Variegated Meadowhawk.

 

Pond Watch protocols will soon add ID of dragonfly nymphs to observations made at local ponds. Stay tuned for an MDP guide to nymphs (plus exuviae) and updated protocols. Think you can ID nymphs? Click below on a nymph for 3 available online resources to start!