Dragonfly and Damselfly Colonization and Recolonization of a Large, Semi-Permanent Pennsylvania Pond

• Published in: Northeastern naturalist 2014-12, Vol.21 (4), p.630-651
• Main Authors: Shiffer, Clark N, White, Harold B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Odonata
• ISSN: 1092-6194; 1938-5307
• DOI: 10.1656/045.021.0414

Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) at Ten Acre Pond in central Pennsylvania have been monitored on a yearly, monthly, and often weekly basis for over half a century, making the Odonata fauna of the pond the most thoroughly documented of any habitat in the United States. Here we summarize the yearly and seasonal distribution of all species reported from 1955 through 2011. Of the 938 Odonata surveys at this semi-permanent pond, 60% are since 1994 when observations were last summarized. Of the 86 species observed at least once, 14 appeared since 1994. Several species that were rare or absent before 1980 have established transient populations, and a few with southern affinities have become well established. The pond's water levels often fluctuate dramatically from year to year and through the year. For populations of “resident” species, recolonization from other local populations occurs efficiently after periods of drought.