Studies on Adult Hine's Emerald Dragonflies (Somatochlora hineana)

Daniel A. Soluk

Department of Biology, University of South Dakota

Follow That Dragonfly!

By catching and marking adult Hine’s emerald dragonflies, we hope to be able to learn more about their movements between sites and to estimate the number of adults in a population.   In the past, we marked adults with paint on the wings. Now, we use small numbered tags.  It is necessary to apply the tags quickly and handle the dragonflies with a gentle touch to minimize the stress placed on captured adults.

Lights, Binoculars, Action

Observations of adult Hine’s emerald dragonflies were completed along the current site of the I-355 Veterans Memorial Tollway before, during, and after construction.  The flight behavior, direction, height, and distance were recorded by observers in order to note the interactions of the Hine’s emeralds with construction equipment and the new bridge.   Adults can be seen traveling above the wetland areas found alongside the bridge.  This information will help us assess the impact of the bridge and its construction on the movements of adult Hine’s emerald dragonflies in the Des Plaines River Valley.

Car Meets Dragonfly

When a dragonfly and a motor vehicle collide, the result is typically bad for the dragonfly.  We document death rates along roads by surveying for dead dragonflies.  Can you see the dead dragonfly in the lower right picture? Eight to sixteen Hine’s emerald adults per km per day can be found on some roadways in Wisconsin.