A year of dragons and damsels

I have been known at times as the spider lady. I'm also the vulture lady and now the mother of a budding ornithologist (more on that later). But Arizona offers more than amazing birding and fodder for my nocturnal adventures. Dragonfly and damselfly watching has been growing, much like birding took off (har har) before it. Places like Boyce Thompson Arboretum do regular dragonfly walks in the summer, Chandler's Environmental Education Center holds days celebrating dragonflies, they're studied around Arizona both formally and through awesome citizen science efforts, we have dragonfly experts and enthusiasts cataloging our species, we have dedicated dragonfly blogs, and dragons and damsels generally make Arizona an awesome place to be, especially in the summer. (Well, if you don't mind the whole 120-degree heat thing.)

Canyon rubyspot damselfly (Hetaerina vulnerata), Saguaro Lake, Mesa

Mexican amberwing dragonfly (Perithemis intensa), Tucson

Mexican amberwing dragonfly (Perithemis intensa), Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Spot-winged glider (Pantala hymenaea), Gilbert Riparian Preserve

Pacific forktail damselfly mating pair (Ischnura cervula)‎, Gilbert Riparian Preserve

So I was excited and intrigued when my friend on Google+ (yes, there are a ton of us over there -- come join us!), Michael Hensley, had the idea to start sharing a photo of a dragonfly or damselfly each day. He shared some of his fantastic photos before moving on to other pursuits. However, I stole was inspired by his idea, and with his permission, ran with it for the full 365 days. My rules were kind of made up as I went, but almost all the shots were taken within this past year. To "count," it had to be a good photo -- I've spotted a few springwater dancers, red rock skimmers, and plateau dragonlets; but alas, I captured only one lousy shot of the dancer and none of the others, so I'll keep trying. The main idea was to show off the amazing, intricate beauty of these insects, and maybe learn a little about science and photography along the way. I was forced to skip a day here and there. (Family emergencies and family in general are not too sympathetic to "Hang on! The Internet needs an insect photo from me today!") However, just a couple weeks late, here is my year's worth of photos of our state's gorgeous Odonata (that's the name for this order of insects). It's been a fun year, following these dragons and damsels.

Mexican amberwing dragonflies (and bonus hoverfly!) (Perithemis intensa), Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Blue-ringed dancer damselfly (Argia sedula), Gilbert Riparian Preserve

I plan to do a much more thorough and dedicated blog post (or posts) on dragonflies -- maybe some species accounts, certainly more of a rundown of what I've learned in the past year. I'd like to share some dragonfly research, highlight some spots, talk about my wonderful assistant/son when he accompanies me, and hopefully touch base with some fellow odo-nuts. (Yes, I know that's lame.) For now, though, please enjoy some highlights from this year. You can check out the whole album here.

Rambur's forktail damselfly (Ischnura ramburii), Veteran's Oasis Park, Chandler

I'm doing another year, starting today. I have a few thoughts, which follow. Any tips from fellow oders? Any requests from pretty insect oglers?

Rambur's forktail damselfly (Ischnura ramburii), Papago Park, Phoenix

1. More locations. I've relied really heavily on half a dozen ode havens. While part of this is because I have a job (usually), a kid, a family, and all that good stuff; and I do not have infinite gas money and time to spend tracking them down; I would like to branch out quite a bit more. I know there are some great spots I've yet to hit, and I bet there are new ones I don't even know yet.

Blue dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis), Papago Park, Phoenix

2. More species. This kind of goes with No. 1 -- the more locations I visit, the wider variety of species I'm likely to encounter.

Blue dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis), Gilbert Riparian Preserve

3. More, and more frequent, visits to the "regular" spots. This could also go with No. 2. Different species frequent the same area at different times in the season. For example, I almost never saw Pacific forktails (or at least I didn't notice them) until I started paying attention to the Gilbert Riparian Preserve earlier in the season.

Flame skimmer dragonfly (Libellula saturata), Tucson

4. More information. I did pretty well on this for a while -- I regaled anyone who followed the series with tales of territory disputes, Latin name origins, cannibalism, and dragonfly/damselfly Kama Sutra (or "insex" as some of us in the insect geek set like to call it) -- but I can do better. I'd like to include at least nuggets of cool information with maybe a quarter to half of my shots, and engaging descriptions with most of them, hopefully. Of course there are limits -- there are only so many anecdotes I can share about blue dashers -- but you get the idea.

Blue dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis), Papago Park, Phoenix

5. Connect more with others. I would love to learn from the dragonfly and damselfly experts, and I would love to connect more -- virtually or otherwise -- with other enthusiasts. The Internet is so awesome for this kind of thing (we already have Yahoo groups, Facebook groups, and awesome sites like BugGuide.net), and I hope to make even better use of them.

6. Make something (else) out of it. I would really, really love to write a well-researched, longer-form piece on these awesome arthropod acrobats. Any takers?

Rambur's forktail damselfly female orange form (Ischnura ramburii), Papago Park, Phoenix

Blue dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis), Papago Park, Phoenix

Desert firetail damselfly (Telebasis salva) mating pair, Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Widow skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa), Papago Park, Phoneix

Mexican amberwing dragonfly (Perithemis intensa), Gilbert Riparian Preserve

Blue dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis), Papago Park, Phoenix

Desert Forktail damselfly (Ischnura barberi), Papago Park, Phoenix

Flame skimmer dragonfly (Libellula saturata), Gilbert Riparian Preserve

Rambur's forktail damselfly female orange form (Ischnura ramburii), Papago Park, Phoenix

Red saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea onusta), Veteran's Oasis Park, Chandler

Red saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea onusta), Papago Park, Phoenix

Red-tailed pennant dragonflies (Brachymesia furcata), Veteran's Oasis Park, Chandler

Roseate skimmer dragonfly (Orthemis ferruginea), Gilbert Riparian Preserve

Western pondhawk dragonfly mating wheel (Erythemis collocata), Papago Park

Day at the Museum

This is an expanded version of this month's column in Times Publications. 

This month, my son and I went back in time billions of years. Then we went on a few archeological expeditions, took a trip to a modern photo gallery, and finally, I put him in jail.

Standard punishment for bothering Mom while she's working.

 We went, of course, to the Arizona Museum of Natural History. During a visit there, you and your family can learn about anthropology, archaeology, history, Native American civilizations, and many fields of scientific research. Of course, we really went for the dinosaurs. It’s known as the “dinosaur museum,” after all.

And also the "Play acting beneath big-ass dinosaur claws" museum. What; that's not what you call it?

Some of my and my son’s favorites, however, weren’t the showstoppers like the towering camarasaurus, fearsome tyrannosaurus, or iconic triceratops (although, yes, those warranted several visits). We loved finding something new, something we didn’t know about before. The crazy, horned skull of a “crowned crocodile” that was actually part of a group of mammal-like reptiles that lived around 267 million years ago. The spiny, intricately detailed trilobite fossils, part of a group including over 10,000 species. There are dinosaur juveniles -- and nests! If all you want is to marvel at some giants, they’ve got you covered, but there is much more to paleontology, and the museum covers that, too.

But seriously, the giants are pretty cool.

Also, more giant claws!

We were also captivated by “Origins,” a permanent exhibit that showcases astronomical events through images and displays and teaches visitors how to “look into the past” simply by examining the stars around them. From the formation of the moon 4.5 billion years ago, to life on Earth 370 million years in the past, to meteorites and minerals collected by people around Arizona, this gallery’s got the history of our world. My son (and each passing kid) gazed in wonder from the hole in the bizarrely shaped giant cast of the Tucson Meteorite, an immense iron meteorite that was discovered before 1850. Beside it, visitors are encouraged to touch a real meteorite, older than the solar system itself.

The real one was actually used as an anvil before they knew what they had. For my money, unabashed wonder is a better use.

Happily, our visit coincided with the museum’s “Rulers of the Prehistoric Skies” exhibit, which is set to run through early 2013. This was lucky, because I have always -- oops; I mean my son has always -- dreamed of seeing pterosaurs (which are reptiles, but not dinosaurs) in person. This is about as close as you’ll get, so we were both thrilled. At the exhibit, we learned about everything from pterosaur anatomy and evolution to their dietary habits. There were even replicas of baby pterosaurs. Of course, the highlight is probably standing beneath Quetzalcoatlus northropi. Imagine a small glider plane. Now make it a giant flying, beaked reptile, and you’ve got a good handle on Quetzalcoatlus. It was one of the biggest flying animals of all time, with a wing span of up to 10 meters and a skull that topped 2 meters. I managed to let David take the first turn beneath the behemoth, but just barely.

Getting cool pictures only kind of makes up for it not being my turn yet.

If quetzalcoatlus "folded" and stood on its haunches (if pterosaurs had haunches), it was about the size of a giraffe. A giraffe that could fly for thousands of miles, and had a beak much bigger than you.

Pteranodon sternbergi and Kiddus amazeface. Priceless.

If top predators of sky and land aren't your speed, how about the sea? Prehistoric oceans were teeming with apex predators not topped in any blockbuster, and you can get your fill of sharks and marine reptiles here as well. The diorama of a six-gilled shark is always one of our favorites. And we love the pliosaur exhibit of the Black Mesa area of northeastern Arizona, circa 100 million years ago, which showcases short-necked but ridiculously large plesiosaurs, swimming reptiles that lived alongside dinosaurs in the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods.

Shark and awe.

We're gonna need a bigger boat.

It wasn’t quite yet unveiled when we were there, but the museum is unwrapping a new exhibition just in time for Christmas -- “Destination Station,” open Dec. 20, 2012 through March 24, 2013. The exhibit focuses on the International Space Station, an internationally developed research facility, in Earth’s lower orbit. It's the largest space station ever constructed, and is a space-based research lab where astronauts from around the world conduct experiments. “Destination” is a sort of awareness campaign for the station, showcasing the cutting-edge research that takes place there, showing visitors how studies are conducted and what discoveries have been made, and highlighting its immense potential for future research. The museum plans to collaborate with the Arizona SciTech Festival, and may even call in visiting astronauts during the exhibit’s run.

Triceratops appreciation, or the only time this vegetarian really enjoys a good set of ribs.

The exhibit should fit right in. One of the best things about the museum is that it encourages active participation, mentally and sometimes even physically. Plaques by the reconstructions and fossils not only identify the species, they tell how it was discovered. Some displays even tell about questions scientists still haven’t answered, which perfectly highlights the skeptical, ever-developing nature of science. If you went here as a kid, it won‘t be the same when you take your kids. If they take theirs in 20 years, it will be a whole new place again. This place not only shows the fruits of scientific discovery, it shows the process of discovery. You can crawl through a lava tube (if you’re a small- to medium-sized adult or a kid), touch several displays (signs will say “Please touch”), piece together skeleton puzzles, answer trivia questions, pan for gold (“fool’s gold,” anyway), and stay in a cell from a real territorial jail.

What? Forget something? Nope; just leaving the jail exhibit.

And, come on. Your kids might whine when you leave places, but it’s not often you hear “Mooom! I want to go back to jail!”

More photos:

Ornithocheirus mesembrinus, a particularly toothy pterosaur.

Jail is fun! (Disclaimer: Do not use the exhibit to teach your children that jail is fun.)

The skull of an Estemmenosuchus, also known as a crowned crocodile, also known as the coolest animal that I didn't know existed until visiting this museum.

A paleontologist is born. Examining a Coelophysis fossil.

Quetzalcoatlus northropi in yo face.

Pteranodon sternbergi also all up in yo face.

The chase continues. I think-he-saurus.

The pterosaur gazing continues.

Touching a real fossil! A giant one!

The creepy-cool Jeholopterus ninchengensis, a very small pterosaur.

Dinosaur mountain, complete with waterfalls, periodic thunderstorms, and animatronic dinosaurs.

Triceratops again.

Even in Arizona, we don't grow them this big (anymore).

Dilophosaurus, with fossil evidence gathered from Arizona's Kayenta Formation

Quetzalcoatlus from the back. Tell me this isn't the coolest creature ever.

My kid shares a moment with Tyrannosaurus bataar, a close relative of T. rex. Rawr.

And yet another pteranodon, because I truly can't help myself

The Arizona Museum of Natural History is one block north of Main Street in downtown Mesa. For more information, call (480) 644-2230 or visit azmnh.org.