In fact, we hope to offer a second Science in the Park event later this summer, plus more Dragonfly Days next year. At Johnson Creek Watershed Council, we think this is an important way for people of all ages to learn, and we’re excited to continue offering these kinds of programs. It gives parents and kids the opportunity to experience hands-on learning together in the outdoors. Like Science in the Park, which we featured in a previous blog post, Dragonfly Days is a special kind of nature education. Our junior surveyors caught cardinal meadowhawks, pacific forktails, blue-eyed darkners, and many other species of dragonflies and damselflies. But the star of the show was the dragonflies themselves. Kids (and adults) of all ages made dragonfly arts and crafts and learned all about dragonflies and damselflies. Some families had so much fun on the first day that they came back for the second one! A huge part of our success was due to Creations for Cures, who joined us at Tegart Pond with art supplies and art kits for kids to take home.
More than two dozen adults and kids came to the combined events. The results were even more positive than we expected. Get a closer look at the sophisticated hunting. A cardinal meadowhawk caught by a community science dragonfly surveyor Litza Lovell. Some of the most skilled, efficient predators on the planet target an often-overlooked food source: insects. Together with the City of Gresham, we brainstormed an event that could satisfy people’s curiosity by letting them watch surveyors in action, learn about dragonflies, and even try their hand at catching dragonflies themselves– all in a kid-friendly way. Volunteer surveyors are often asked by interested passers-by what they’re doing in a wetland with a large net. A young dragonfly surveyor studies her captured damselfly during Dragonfly Days.ĭragonfly Days were inspired by public interest in our dragonfly surveys. That’s one of the reasons JCWC organizes community science dragonfly surveys.
We learn about trends in wetland health by tracking this diversity in one location over many years. One indicator of healthy wetlands is the diversity of odonates, especially of migratory dragonflies. Like six-legged lions, they’re the apex predator of the invertebrate world. While harmless to humans, they are voracious predators of other insects, including pesky mosquitoes. Both were also a big success!ĭragonflies and damselflies (known together as “odonates”) are an important part of streamside ecosystems. Both took place at Tegart Pond, a small but flourishing urban greenspace tucked between a new Gresham suburb and an agricultural field. We held one Dragonfly Day on a Thursday afternoon in June, followed by a second event on a Saturday in July. This two-part event was the newest of our family-friendly nature education events. To celebrate these beautiful insects, Johnson Creek Watershed Council recently launched a new program called Dragonfly Days. Summer brings glittering, buzzing, glorious dragonflies to the banks of Johnson Creek. JCWC’s newest nature program proves a success
0 kommentar(er)
