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Ohio has about 165 species of dragonflies and damselflies, and many of them will be on the wing in Geauga County, Ohio on Saturday, June 21, at the Annual Meeting of the Ohio Odonata Society (OOS). Visitors are welcome and the entire one-day meeting is FREE!

If you would like to learn more about dragonflies and damselflies, this is a great meeting to attend. Many of Ohio’s most knowledgeable odonatists (people who study dragonflies and damselflies) will be there, and in the morning there will be several short presentations about dragonflies: naturalist Linda Gilbert will talk about her work on dragonflies at Geauga Parks, dragonfly expert Bob Glotzhober will discuss priorities for conservation of Ohio’s dragonfly diversity, Steve Chordas will discuss his research on “black bugs”, and Ian Adams will provide some tips on photographing dragonflies and damselflies. In the afternoon, we’ll head out in small groups to visit several of the nearby natural areas in Geauga County to observe and photograph the resident dragonflies and damselflies. In late June the maximum number of species of these beautiful, gossamer-winged predators will be flying, including several species of clubtails, like the Lancet Clubtail shown in the photo above, which has elevated its body into the “obelisk” position to cool down on a hot day.

The Familiar Bluet shown above is a damselfly, which are smaller than dragonflies and usually fold their wings over their abdomen, or at a 45 degree angle, when perched on vegetation in between hunting sessions. Bluets can be tricky to identify, but the experts who will be at the OOS meeting will provide you with lots of tips, and suggestions for field guides, and I’ll be on hand to help you photograph these gorgeous creatures. Bring your digital SLR or point-&-shoot camera, or even your iPhone, and a pair of close-focusing binoculars if you have them.

The OOS annual meeting will take place on Saturday, June 21 at 9:00 am  in the Oak Room at The West Woods Nature Center, 9465 Kinsman Road (Rte. 87), Russell, Ohio 44072. For more information about Geauga Parks District, visit their website:  www.geaugaparkdistrict.org

For more information about the Ohio Odonata Society, visit the OOS website at: www.marietta.edu/~odonata/. For more information about the OOS annual meeting on June 21, send me an email: ian@ianadamsphotography.com or call me at (330)-920-7401.