Page 34 - World of Animals - Issue #31

Lord of the fl ies

Hine’s emerald dragonfly

America’s rarest dragonfly is threatened by habitat loss

Once found in numerous US states is now protected by law and listed
ranging from Alabama to Wisconsin, on the United States’ Federal List
populations of the Hine’s emerald of Endangered Species, the only
dragonfly have plummeted. Their Odonata species to be included.

remaining numbers are now confined But it’s not all bad news: the IUCN
to four states in the Midwest. considers the species Threatened but

These small dragonflies are not Endangered, reporting discoveries
named after their most distinctive of new populations year after year.
feature: prominent emerald-green The largest number can be found in
eyes. They’re notoriously picky Door County, Wisconsin. As many
about where they live, requiring as 20,000 Hine’s emeralds live here,
wetlands with dolomitic bedrock relying on nature reserves such as
or spring-fed marshes with high The Ridges Sanctuary for protection.
levels of calcium carbonate. These Careful driving could help keep
habitats have been encroached on populations of Hine’s emeralds from
for urban development, draining further depletion: a 2014 study
the water that the species depends demonstrated a link between the
on and leaving nowhere for their number of dragonfly deaths and the

larvae to live. The Hine’s emerald speed of local traffic.

Norf olk hawker Green eyes and

An uncommon British dragonfl y that’s a yellow marking
An uncommon British dragonfl y that’s
clear wings, with
gradually expanding its range
gradually expanding its range on the abdomen
Norfolk hawkers are among the rarest dragonfl ies in the
UK. Until recently you’d have had to travel to Norfolk or
Suffolk to catch a glimpse of one, but they have recently
been spotted in Kent, 240 kilometres (150 miles) south of
their usual home. One female was even witnessed laying
her eggs near the county’s Westbere Lake – proof that this
species plans to expand its empire far beyond the place it
was named after.
These dragonfl ies are easily distinguished by a yellow
triangle on their back, as well as by their lime green eyes
and perfectly transparent wings. You’ll usually fi nd them
near water soldiers – aquatic plants that offer valuable
shelter for the dragonfl y’s larvae.
Norfolk hawkers are members of the Aeshnidae family,
better known as hawkers or darners. These are some of
the biggest and fastest dragonfl ies in the world. One of
the Norfolk hawker’s cousins is the black emperor, an
African dragonfl y with a mighty 12.5-centimetre
(fi ve-inch) wingspan.

“It is expanding its empire beyond

the place it was named after”

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