More Information About Odonata Survey

Citizen volunteers are needed because there are far too many habitats to check for the few professionals who work with Odonata. Any level of commitment on your part will be appreciated. Field guides for dragonflies and damselflies have also recently become available on national and regional levels. You might need nets and collecting supplies in addition to field guides. Waders, hip boots, or knee-high boots will be a benefit also.

Our focus is to document populations of dragonflies (Suborder Anisoptera) and damselflies (Suborder Zygoptera) by identifying adults, larvae, and exuviae (cast skins left behind near shore when the larva transforms into the adult). Some collecting of specimens is needed because some species need to be identified in the lab under high magnification. If you would rather not collect dragonflies, you can still help the survey by learning to identify those that can be identified in the hand or on the wing, and by collecting exuviae.

Guidelines on how to observe or collect specimens

Guidelines for accepting Odonata records

Guidelines on how to access different properties in Wisconsin

Resources: field guides, books, supplies and contacts