Welcome to the Manitoba Dragonfly Survey website on NatureNorth.com!

Please check out Ducks Unlimited Canada's: Project Dragonfly!


Dragonfly Festival at Oak Hammock Marsh

Check Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre activities calendar for insect and dragonfly events: Click Here.

Click the picture on the right for some photos from the 2008 Festival.

And check out what our odonatical friends to the south in Minnesota are up to! Download their MOSP Newsletter (PDF 700 Kb).



Introduction

Dragonflies have been used as indicator species for assessing habitat and water quality in a variety of wetlands, riparian forests, and lakeshore habitats around the world. Scientists in Europe, Japan and the U.S. have had good success in establishing citizen monitoring networks to collect data for regional or national dragonfly survey and environmental monitoring projects. Teachers, school groups, nature societies, and other interested citizens groups or individual volunteers have been recruited for these projects. Monitoring guides are made available to recruits so that data is recorded and specimens are collected according to a survey standards. Over the course of several years, the data and specimens collected usually result in the compilation of local dragonfly atlases and field guides, as well as contributing to an international database. Inspired by the success of a dragonfly survey now underway in Minnesota, we decided to initiate a dragonfly survey here.

Significant efforts have been made in assessing the diversity of dragonflies in Manitoba, especially in urban areas. Many questions remain, however, about the occurrence of dragonfly species throughout the province. The results of this survey will be compiled in a dragonfly atlas and field guide, and will become part of the Conservation Data Centre database. The results will also contribute information to the database and mapping project of the Dragonfly Society of the Americas and the Odonata information network of the Worldwide Dragonfly Association. A detailed Manitoba dragonfly atlas and field guide will be one of the products of the survey. Interested volunteers are invited to become involved to help us achieve these goals. Survey participants in all areas of the province are welcome.

 

Survey Objectives

1) To survey and inventory Manitoba dragonflies.

2) To compare dragonfly diversity in undisturbed, disturbed, or managed habitats.

3) To identify uncommon dragonfly species and to determine if specific habitats are important for their conservation.

4) To cooperate with other monitoring efforts in Manitoba and elsewhere.

  

 

 

Survey Organization

The Manitoba Dragonfly Survey, based in Winnipeg, was established in 1999 and is being coordinated by Jim Duncan. We would like to encourage your continued feedback to evaluate this guide book and the methods described. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Please send your comments, data and specimens to:

Dragonfly Survey
Manitoba Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch,
Box 24, 200 Saulteaux Crescent,
Winnipeg, MB R3J 3W3

Telephone: 204-945-7465 email: James.Duncan@gov.mb.ca

 

Getting Involved in the Survey

The Manitoba Dragonfly Survey has been operating since 1999 with the aid of over 300 volunteers. We are always looking for new volunteers. If you'd like to get involved in the survey as an individual or with a group or school follow this link:

Join the Dragonfly Survey

 

To view our Dragonflies of Manitoba Education Program, click the green dragonfly.

Dragonflies of Manitoba Education Program


The Beauty of Dragonflies

Gomphus fraternus manitobanusManitoba has at least 98 species of dragonflies and damselflies, and they're all gorgeous! In our Photo Gallery there is a checklist of species and pictures of a few of these beauties.

Photo Gallery


Other Dragonfly Resources

There are a number of good books available on the Odonata as well as many internet web sites. Here's a few to get you started.

Hardcopy and On Line Resources

Conferences and Meetings


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Credits

© Copyright NatureNorth.com and the Manitoba Dragonfly Survey 2004. Web site design and layout, and image processing by Doug Collicutt. We are indebted to the following who have contributed images for use on this web site: James Lasswell, Marjorie Hughes, Blair Nikula, Doug Collicutt, Glen Corbiere, John Abbott and Giff Beaton.