“But you want to be in a place where your larvae will not freeze,” Sanchez Hererra said. The dragonflies must find an aquatic habitat to lay their larvae, where they will develop over the winter and spring until they emerge when the surrounding water temperature is suitable. Sanchez Hererra said that dragonflies aggregate the way they have near Lake Michigan, typically, for one of two reasons: eating or migrating. The dragonflies must traverse these long distances out of necessity. The green darner typically travels down to the Gulf of Mexico, but Sachez-Hererra adds that some dragonfly species, like the Wandering Glider, have even turned up as far south as Colombia. Herrera said that of the nearly 500 species of dragonfly, a miniscule fraction of North American species embark on long migrations, as well. When you think of migration, birds, bats and monarchs might come to mind. “Because some of these are actually coming from Canada.” “They’re going to start to cross the lake,” Sanchez Herrera said. Melissa Sanchez Hererra, an entomologist studying dragonflies at the University of Alabama, said the dragonflies will travel more than 900 miles. The green darner averages about three inches in length - as large as some songbirds. Stand close enough, and the common green darner’s namesake emerges: its metallic green thorax gives way to a shimmering blue abdomen. Chicago is the latest pit stop on the voyage of dragonflies - part of their multigenerational, mass migration - across North America that happens every Spring and Fall. Sign up for WBEZ newsletters to get local news you can trust.ĬHICAGO - Swarms of the Common Green Darner dragonfly will be visible near Chicago through the end of the month. This coverage is made possible through a partnership WBEZ and Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
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