Day of the Dragon

In May I had the opportunity to participate in the “Day of the Dragon” advanced training which focused on dragonflies and damselflies.

The training was hosted by the South Carolina Wildlife Federation at Goodale State Park in the Sandhills of Camden, SC. Our instructor for the program was insect enthusiast Dr. Austin Jenkins, an Honorary Statewide Master Naturalist. We spent the day examining the parts of the insects and exploring the aquatic habitats of dragonflies and damselflies.

We used dip nets to scrape around the edges the water within the vegetation to search for dragonflies in their larval state and discussed the various aquatic vegetation in the habitat.

The most exciting part of the day was when an Elfin Skimmer (Nannothemis Bella) was spotted by one of the group members! This was only the tenth siting in South Carolina and a first for Newberry County! So get out there and start exploring you never know what you may find!