Damselflies of Alberta: Flying Neon Toothpicks in the GrassWith iridescent blues and greens, damselflies are some of the most beautiful flying insects as well as the most primitive. As members of the insect order Odonata they are related to dragonflies but are classified in a separate suborder. These aquatic insects are a delight to the eye and a fascinating creature of study. In Damselflies of Alberta, naturalist John Acorn describes the twenty-two species native to the province. Exhaustively researched, yet written in an accessible style, the author's enthusiasm for these flying neon toothpicks is compelling. More than a field guide, this is a passionate investigation into one of nature's winged marvels of the wetlands. |
Contents
| 1 | |
2 A Day in the Life of a Damselfly | 9 |
3 Damselflies and Wetlands | 19 |
4 The History of Damselfly Study in Alberta | 23 |
5 How to Study Damselflies | 35 |
6 Damselfly Conservation in Alberta | 43 |
7 The Damselflies of Alberta | 51 |
Checklist of Alberta Damselflies | 129 |
Key to the Adult Damselflies of Alberta | 131 |
Helpful Sources for Damselfly Study | 139 |
Glossary | 141 |
| 146 | |
A Gallery of Damselflies | 151 |
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Common terms and phrases
abdomen abdominal segment Alberta damselflies alkali bluet American bluets Banff Beaverhill Lake Bluet enallagma boreal bluet British Columbia Christine Rice claspers Coenagrion common spreadwing Cypress Hills damselfly larvae Devonian Botanical Gardens dragonflies eastern forktail ECOLOGY Habitat Edmund Walker emerald spreadwing entomologist fauna female fishes Forktail ischnura genus Gordon Pritchard green Hagen’s bluet IDENTIFICATION Males insects interestin Jon Hornung larvae lay eggs live look lower claspers lyre-tipped spreadwing marsh bluet mating Medicine Hat mosquito Nehalennia northern bluet Odonata odonate odonatist odonatologist Pacific forktail pale shoulder stripes peatland perch plains forktail plant stems pond damsels population postocular spots prairie bluet predators pronotum prothorax pruinose pterothorax Red Deer river bluet river jewelwing sedge sprite shoulder pads Similar species sort species in Alberta specimens spotted spreadwings spring-fed subarctic bluets things thorax tiger beetle tule bluet underside University of Alberta upper claspers vivid dancer western red damsel wetlands wings yellow-green