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October 05, 2000 - Dragonfly departureIOA • The Suffolk Times • October 5, 2000 Draaonfl departure igratory `darning needles' — Barbara and 1 have been aomg some county park hopping. Last week it was Shinnecock East in Southampton and this week we went to Cupsogue Beach in West - Focus hampton, where we had lunch out ON in the open on NATURE one of the park by Paul benches. It was Stoutenburgh one of those clear, wonderful fall days and the temperature was still warm enough to enjoy eating out. All along the edge of the park the groundsel or high tide bush was just breaking out. This is the bush you see around the edges of our salt marshes. It can also be seen out in open fields. This is because its blossom, which turns into a silky parachute seed, drifts about and quickly establishes itself almost anywhere. It is particular- ly noticeable at this time of the year when it appears as a white haze around the edges of our creeks. As we sat there enjoying our turkey salad sandwiches and cold drinks, we noticed darning needles moving west- ward. Darning needle is a common name for both dragonflies and their daintier cousins the damselflies, two branches of the insect order Odonata. To tell the difference between the two kinds of darning needles, the dam- selfly folds its wings over its back when it lands and the dragonfly has both wines extended when resting. are taking their leave in droves Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh Why is it that most people think dragonflies bite or sting, which of course they do not? Most dragonflies will die with the first frost, the exception being the larger ones, which will migrate south to where their favorite food of small flying insects can be found. Doing the dragonfly numbers The dragonflies were traveling by ii such numbers that I knew it had to b< some sort of migration. We started to count. I kept close watch of the time and in one minute we had over 50 big dragonflies pass by. They were all the same size and kind. Later when I looked it up I found it to be the com- mon green aarner aragonny. We had been looking over the marsh toward the bay area_ and so we decided to swing around to the south and check the dunes. Here we found approximately the same number mov- ing through,.making a total of over 101 dragonflies every minute (6,000 an hour). We repeated this counting two or three more times to be sure we were being accurate. It was unbelievable. Since we felt it might sound impossi ble, we decided to check further op our numbers and were pleased to find in a article called "Hunting Dragons" in The Nature Conservancy maga- zine, "in September of 1992 a swarm of dragonflies passed a hawk- counting sta- tion at Cape May, New Jersey, cruising for hours past aston- ished birdwatchers in waves of up to 1,200 aragontlies per minute." That was a lot more than we had seen but nevertheless confirmed that cer- tain dragonflies do migrate. The dragonflies we were seeing were so big that off in the distance they looked like little birds coming at us. They actually made a shadow on the ground as they passed by us. We watched this migration for an hour or so and then at 1:30 sharp it stopped. I couldn't believe it! It was as if some- one had turned a switch. There'wasnl a dragonfly to be seen. During the hour we spent there at the park monarch butterflies were drifting by, along with mourning c17 butterflies, which I thought was kind of unusual. I had always thought mourning cloaks stayed here year - round for we see them on warm win- ter days when they come out to stretch their wings. Dragonflies have gotten a bad name, I'm afraid. People think they sting your or bite you, which they do not. utlner wives' tales tell about then sewing up little boys' ears with their needles (therefore the common name darning needle) which, of course is pure folly but interesting. There are over 400 different vari- eties of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) listed in the United State and Canada and it is only the biggest of the dragonflies, as far as I could find out, that migrate; the rest perish as the cold weather moves in, for their gnats and other flying insects, all fall prey to the cold of winter. These big dragonflies seem to know better and head south where the mosquitoes and bugs still fly. It seemed they knew that within a few days there would be a cold front moving in and the tempera- ture would drop into the low 40s. So that was why they were on their way south. It sure looked that way as they zoomed by us, occa- sionally darting off course to pick up an insect and then con- tinuing on their way. Darning needles eat on the wing. They capture their prey with their specially designed feet, which are really not meant for walking. They catch their insect prey using their feet as a basket -like trap. Then they bring it up to their mouth and devour it while flying. The darning needles that perish with the cold weather have already laid their eggs, which have developed into aquat- ic nymphs in the muddy ponds and streams, where they will stay tnougn the winter. These aquatic nymphs are vicious feeders and will eat anything that moves, including their own kind. After they make -it through the winter in the bottom of the pond, they will come out of the water and climb up the stem of a plant. After a short while the change -over will take place where their skin splits open and the newly formed dragonfly emerges in its familiar form. These darning needles are unique in the insect world in the sense that they can fly in any direction— up, down, forward, backward and sideways. All with lightning speed. They're so sophis- ticated in flight that aeronautical engi- neers funded by the U.S. Air Force actually studied their maneuvers to see what they could learn from them. Darning needles have one of the world's finest pairs of compound eyes. They can virtually see in all directions at the same time. Combine the eye- sight and the maneuverability and you can see why mosquitoes, greenheads, gnats and insects of all sorts fall prey to them. They have become such effi- cient hunters that they are known in some places as mosquito hawks. All of us have heard of those who go out with binoculars and look for birds, well, there is also a new group of people who go out and hunt for drag- onflies. They are called odonatists and they even have a society called the Dragonfly Society of America (DSA). So if you're looking for something, new to do, pick up, your binoculars next spring and go looking for darning, needles. Better yet; head south now where the mosquitoes are and you are bound to see dragonflies and dam- selflies in all sorts of colors and shapes. They are winged miracles once you get to know them. IOA • The Suffolk Times • October 5, 2000 Draaonfl departure igratory `darning needles' — Barbara and 1 have been aomg some county park hopping. Last week it was Shinnecock East in Southampton and this week we went to Cupsogue Beach in West - Focus hampton, where we had lunch out ON in the open on NATURE one of the park by Paul benches. It was Stoutenburgh one of those clear, wonderful fall days and the temperature was still warm enough to enjoy eating out. All along the edge of the park the groundsel or high tide bush was just breaking out. This is the bush you see around the edges of our salt marshes. It can also be seen out in open fields. This is because its blossom, which turns into a silky parachute seed, drifts about and quickly establishes itself almost anywhere. It is particular- ly noticeable at this time of the year when it appears as a white haze around the edges of our creeks. As we sat there enjoying our turkey salad sandwiches and cold drinks, we noticed darning needles moving west- ward. Darning needle is a common name for both dragonflies and their daintier cousins the damselflies, two branches of the insect order Odonata. To tell the difference between the two kinds of darning needles, the dam- selfly folds its wings over its back when it lands and the dragonfly has both wines extended when resting. are taking their leave in droves Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh Why is it that most people think dragonflies bite or sting, which of course they do not? Most dragonflies will die with the first frost, the exception being the larger ones, which will migrate south to where their favorite food of small flying insects can be found. Doing the dragonfly numbers The dragonflies were traveling by ii such numbers that I knew it had to b< some sort of migration. We started to count. I kept close watch of the time and in one minute we had over 50 big dragonflies pass by. They were all the same size and kind. Later when I looked it up I found it to be the com- mon green aarner aragonny. We had been looking over the marsh toward the bay area_ and so we decided to swing around to the south and check the dunes. Here we found approximately the same number mov- ing through,.making a total of over 101 dragonflies every minute (6,000 an hour). We repeated this counting two or three more times to be sure we were being accurate. It was unbelievable. Since we felt it might sound impossi ble, we decided to check further op our numbers and were pleased to find in a article called "Hunting Dragons" in The Nature Conservancy maga- zine, "in September of 1992 a swarm of dragonflies passed a hawk- counting sta- tion at Cape May, New Jersey, cruising for hours past aston- ished birdwatchers in waves of up to 1,200 aragontlies per minute." That was a lot more than we had seen but nevertheless confirmed that cer- tain dragonflies do migrate. The dragonflies we were seeing were so big that off in the distance they looked like little birds coming at us. They actually made a shadow on the ground as they passed by us. We watched this migration for an hour or so and then at 1:30 sharp it stopped. I couldn't believe it! It was as if some- one had turned a switch. There'wasnl a dragonfly to be seen. During the hour we spent there at the park monarch butterflies were drifting by, along with mourning c17 butterflies, which I thought was kind of unusual. I had always thought mourning cloaks stayed here year - round for we see them on warm win- ter days when they come out to stretch their wings. Dragonflies have gotten a bad name, I'm afraid. People think they sting your or bite you, which they do not. utlner wives' tales tell about then sewing up little boys' ears with their needles (therefore the common name darning needle) which, of course is pure folly but interesting. There are over 400 different vari- eties of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) listed in the United State and Canada and it is only the biggest of the dragonflies, as far as I could find out, that migrate; the rest perish as the cold weather moves in, for their gnats and other flying insects, all fall prey to the cold of winter. These big dragonflies seem to know better and head south where the mosquitoes and bugs still fly. It seemed they knew that within a few days there would be a cold front moving in and the tempera- ture would drop into the low 40s. So that was why they were on their way south. It sure looked that way as they zoomed by us, occa- sionally darting off course to pick up an insect and then con- tinuing on their way. Darning needles eat on the wing. They capture their prey with their specially designed feet, which are really not meant for walking. They catch their insect prey using their feet as a basket -like trap. Then they bring it up to their mouth and devour it while flying. The darning needles that perish with the cold weather have already laid their eggs, which have developed into aquat- ic nymphs in the muddy ponds and streams, where they will stay tnougn the winter. These aquatic nymphs are vicious feeders and will eat anything that moves, including their own kind. After they make -it through the winter in the bottom of the pond, they will come out of the water and climb up the stem of a plant. After a short while the change -over will take place where their skin splits open and the newly formed dragonfly emerges in its familiar form. These darning needles are unique in the insect world in the sense that they can fly in any direction— up, down, forward, backward and sideways. All with lightning speed. They're so sophis- ticated in flight that aeronautical engi- neers funded by the U.S. Air Force actually studied their maneuvers to see what they could learn from them. Darning needles have one of the world's finest pairs of compound eyes. They can virtually see in all directions at the same time. Combine the eye- sight and the maneuverability and you can see why mosquitoes, greenheads, gnats and insects of all sorts fall prey to them. They have become such effi- cient hunters that they are known in some places as mosquito hawks. All of us have heard of those who go out with binoculars and look for birds, well, there is also a new group of people who go out and hunt for drag- onflies. They are called odonatists and they even have a society called the Dragonfly Society of America (DSA). So if you're looking for something, new to do, pick up, your binoculars next spring and go looking for darning, needles. Better yet; head south now where the mosquitoes are and you are bound to see dragonflies and dam- selflies in all sorts of colors and shapes. They are winged miracles once you get to know them. IOA • The Suffolk Times • October 5, 2000 Draaonfl departure igratory `darning needles' — Barbara and 1 have been aomg some county park hopping. Last week it was Shinnecock East in Southampton and this week we went to Cupsogue Beach in West - Focus hampton, where we had lunch out ON in the open on NATURE one of the park by Paul benches. It was Stoutenburgh one of those clear, wonderful fall days and the temperature was still warm enough to enjoy eating out. All along the edge of the park the groundsel or high tide bush was just breaking out. This is the bush you see around the edges of our salt marshes. It can also be seen out in open fields. This is because its blossom, which turns into a silky parachute seed, drifts about and quickly establishes itself almost anywhere. It is particular- ly noticeable at this time of the year when it appears as a white haze around the edges of our creeks. As we sat there enjoying our turkey salad sandwiches and cold drinks, we noticed darning needles moving west- ward. Darning needle is a common name for both dragonflies and their daintier cousins the damselflies, two branches of the insect order Odonata. To tell the difference between the two kinds of darning needles, the dam- selfly folds its wings over its back when it lands and the dragonfly has both wines extended when resting. are taking their leave in droves Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh Why is it that most people think dragonflies bite or sting, which of course they do not? Most dragonflies will die with the first frost, the exception being the larger ones, which will migrate south to where their favorite food of small flying insects can be found. Doing the dragonfly numbers The dragonflies were traveling by ii such numbers that I knew it had to b< some sort of migration. We started to count. I kept close watch of the time and in one minute we had over 50 big dragonflies pass by. They were all the same size and kind. Later when I looked it up I found it to be the com- mon green aarner aragonny. We had been looking over the marsh toward the bay area_ and so we decided to swing around to the south and check the dunes. Here we found approximately the same number mov- ing through,.making a total of over 101 dragonflies every minute (6,000 an hour). We repeated this counting two or three more times to be sure we were being accurate. It was unbelievable. Since we felt it might sound impossi ble, we decided to check further op our numbers and were pleased to find in a article called "Hunting Dragons" in The Nature Conservancy maga- zine, "in September of 1992 a swarm of dragonflies passed a hawk- counting sta- tion at Cape May, New Jersey, cruising for hours past aston- ished birdwatchers in waves of up to 1,200 aragontlies per minute." That was a lot more than we had seen but nevertheless confirmed that cer- tain dragonflies do migrate. The dragonflies we were seeing were so big that off in the distance they looked like little birds coming at us. They actually made a shadow on the ground as they passed by us. We watched this migration for an hour or so and then at 1:30 sharp it stopped. I couldn't believe it! It was as if some- one had turned a switch. There'wasnl a dragonfly to be seen. During the hour we spent there at the park monarch butterflies were drifting by, along with mourning c17 butterflies, which I thought was kind of unusual. I had always thought mourning cloaks stayed here year - round for we see them on warm win- ter days when they come out to stretch their wings. Dragonflies have gotten a bad name, I'm afraid. People think they sting your or bite you, which they do not. utlner wives' tales tell about then sewing up little boys' ears with their needles (therefore the common name darning needle) which, of course is pure folly but interesting. There are over 400 different vari- eties of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) listed in the United State and Canada and it is only the biggest of the dragonflies, as far as I could find out, that migrate; the rest perish as the cold weather moves in, for their gnats and other flying insects, all fall prey to the cold of winter. These big dragonflies seem to know better and head south where the mosquitoes and bugs still fly. It seemed they knew that within a few days there would be a cold front moving in and the tempera- ture would drop into the low 40s. So that was why they were on their way south. It sure looked that way as they zoomed by us, occa- sionally darting off course to pick up an insect and then con- tinuing on their way. Darning needles eat on the wing. They capture their prey with their specially designed feet, which are really not meant for walking. They catch their insect prey using their feet as a basket -like trap. Then they bring it up to their mouth and devour it while flying. The darning needles that perish with the cold weather have already laid their eggs, which have developed into aquat- ic nymphs in the muddy ponds and streams, where they will stay tnougn the winter. These aquatic nymphs are vicious feeders and will eat anything that moves, including their own kind. After they make -it through the winter in the bottom of the pond, they will come out of the water and climb up the stem of a plant. After a short while the change -over will take place where their skin splits open and the newly formed dragonfly emerges in its familiar form. These darning needles are unique in the insect world in the sense that they can fly in any direction— up, down, forward, backward and sideways. All with lightning speed. They're so sophis- ticated in flight that aeronautical engi- neers funded by the U.S. Air Force actually studied their maneuvers to see what they could learn from them. Darning needles have one of the world's finest pairs of compound eyes. They can virtually see in all directions at the same time. Combine the eye- sight and the maneuverability and you can see why mosquitoes, greenheads, gnats and insects of all sorts fall prey to them. They have become such effi- cient hunters that they are known in some places as mosquito hawks. All of us have heard of those who go out with binoculars and look for birds, well, there is also a new group of people who go out and hunt for drag- onflies. They are called odonatists and they even have a society called the Dragonfly Society of America (DSA). So if you're looking for something, new to do, pick up, your binoculars next spring and go looking for darning, needles. Better yet; head south now where the mosquitoes are and you are bound to see dragonflies and dam- selflies in all sorts of colors and shapes. They are winged miracles once you get to know them.