April Monthly Meeting

Dragonflies – Masters of Water and Air

Presented by Ron Lawrenz, Director, Lee and Rose Warner Nature Center, Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota

As this mild winter comes to an end, our thoughts turn to those lazy, crazy days of summer. We envision birds chirping, warm days at the beach, perhaps fishing and boat rides. In our mind’s eye, myriad dragonflies and damselflies hover by and over the waters. Indeed, no summer scene is complete without these beautiful blue, green, and red wonders of nature.

Ron Lawrenz will present the biology, behavior and other intriguing facts about these masters of the water and air. By the end of Ron’s presentation you will be able to impress friends and family with your knowledge of how to identify the primary dragonfly families found in Minnesota. In addition, Ron will impart to us an appreciation of why these insects are important indicator species for gauging the impact of issues such as climate change and habitat degradation.

To learn more about dragonflies and damselflies, please visit the following websites:
Minnesota Odonata Survey Project: www.mndragonfly.org
Wisconsin Odonata Survey: http://wiatri.net/inventory/odonata/
Michigan Odonata Survey: http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/MICHODO/mos
Dragonfly Society of the Americas – www.odonatacentral.org

Everyone is invited to this free Saint Paul Audubon program on Thursday, April 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the Fairview Community Center, 1910 West County Road B in Roseville, just west of Fairview Avenue. The event is open to the public with free parking. A social time with refreshments begins at 6:45. For more information, call Linda Goodspeed at 651-647-1452.