Migratory Dragonfly Partnership

April 2016

The Migratory Dragonfly Partnership has grown stronger every year, and the contribution its network of volunteers makes to understanding dragonfly migration has never been greater or more important. As winter recedes, dragonflies are beginning to emerge and move. Now is the perfect time to start looking for these remarkable travelers.

What We've Learned Thanks to You

Since the launch of the Migratory Dragonfly Partnership's citizen science projects in 2011, over a thousand citizen scientists have given their time and energy to watching and studying dragonflies. Some volunteers wait at Hawk Watch observatories for a glimpse of dragonflies during the migration seasons. Others have adopted a local pond (or their own backyard pond!) they visit regularly to get to know the resident fauna. MDP's citizen science volunteers share their dragonfly discoveries, contributing invaluable information about their movements and a snapshot of their life history in different parts of North America. The information that you have gathered now informs our understanding of this amazing phenomenon.

Thanks to data from citizen scientists, combined with research by MDP scientists with the University of Maryland, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, and the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, we now know key migration routes and the timing of dragonfly movements north to breeding grounds -- as well as the average distance traveled in a day by migrating Common Green Darners in eastern North America. Read more about what's been revealed in the Xerces Society's blog. Thanks for contributing!

Feedback Survey

The results from the 2015 MDP feedback survey are in! Thank you to the more than 500 people who provided feedback on their participation and experience with MDP projects. We learned important information from these surveys, from pond watchers and migration monitors offering their feedback about their participation to responses about our resources, that help us determine both program strengths and volunteer needs. We know not everyone can offer their free time to participate in MDP projects -- 36% of respondents said that lack of free time limits their participation -- but we were happy to learn that MDP supporters stay connected through social media.

A second key take away message was that folks feel their limited knowledge of dragonflies is a barrier to their participation (44%). To address this concern, the Dragonfly ID app is a new tool that will make it easier for participants to identify and study the local dragonfly fauna in their area. When asked what additional resources or offerings would motivate you to participate more in MDP projects, a majority of people say they will put the ID app to good use as well as the forthcoming submission app (60%).

Before you head out to your local pond to catch a glimpse of those first-of-the-year dragonflies, download the Dragonfly ID app to help identify migrants on the wing in your area.

Download App

MDP Accomplishments

Starting as a cool idea, MDP has grown into a tri-national organization that has transformed our knowledge of dragonfly migration in only a few years. Download the latest accomplishments report to read in more detail what has changed thanks to everyone's involvement.

Content by the Xerces Society, on behalf of the Migratory Dragonfly Partnership.

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migratorydragonflypartnership.org

Photo: Wandering Glider by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren,
Flickr Creative Commons License 4.0.

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