Dragonflies and damselflies have grown in popularity in recent years. They are thrilling to watch, brightly colored and acrobatic, and are also indicators of habitat quality. The flashy adults we see are the last, brief stage of a much longer life cycle that takes place mostly under water, in ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands - nearly any permanent or semi-permanent body of water. Because of Fermilab's diverse habitats, and also the lab's maintenance of large supplies of cooling waters, dragonflies and damselflies thrive here. Fifty-five species have been observed including most of those common to the Chicago area as well as several uncommon species, such as the Cyrano darner (right, top) and citrine forktail (right, bottom). The links below include an introductory video (10 min), the list of species observed, and a photographic field guide.
The Field Trip "Dflies near the LSC" is designed to work well on smartphones. It is a photographic record of the species that have been seen in the public areas near the Lederman Science Center. Different species are present at different times of year, and some individuals are difficult to identify, especially the females, which are not shown. To access it on your phone, Google "fermilab ecology," then navigate from the top hit to wildlife, then to dragonflies. A PDF version is also available.
Other species lists: