Posts Tagged: Greg Kareofelas

An Old Flame (Skimmer)

Gotta love those flame skimmers.

It's a joy to watch these firecracker-red dragonflies (Libellula saturata) make their presence known. They dart over our fish pond, snatch an insect, and then perch on a tomato-plant stake to eat it.

Last year another generation did the same thing. They darted over our fish pond, snatched an insect, and then staked their claim in the vegetable garden. Over a tomato plant.

Most of the time the flame skimmers seem unaware of my presence. Guess they consider me neither prey nor predator.

If you love dragonflies, several years ago the Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California, Davis,  created an educational poster, "Dragonflies of California," the work of doctoral candidate Fran Keller and naturalist/photographer Greg Kareofelas of Davis. It focuses on 18 dragonflies commonly found in the Golden State. The largest insect depicted in the poster is the Giant Darner (Anax walshinghami), but the most colorful just has to be...drum roll...the flame skimmer. But I'm biased.

Keller came up with these facts about dragonflies:

Ten fast facts about dragonflies, as provided by the Bohart Museum:

1. Dragonflies date back before the dinosaur age.
2. The largest known prehistoric species of dragonfly, living 300 million years ago,  was the Meganeura monyi. Its wingspan measured more than two feet long.
3. The largest species today is a South American dragonfly with a wingspan of 7.5 inches.  The smallest modern species is an east Asian dragonfly, the libellulid dragonfly, Nannophya pygmaea, with a wingspan of about 3/4 of an inch.
4. California is home to approximately 108 species. More than 5000 species are found worldwide.
5. Dragonflies help control pests such as mosquitoes, midges and flies, but will also dine on honey bees and butterflies.
6. The adults feed by hawking their prey. They dart off a perch to catch prey and often return to the perch to eat.
7. Most dragonflies live around lakes, ponds, streams, and marshes; their larvae, known as “nymphs,” are aquatic.  Some dragonfly larvae live in bromeliad flowers.
8. Dragonflies usually do not bite or sting humans, but if grasped by the abdomen, they may bite to escape. 
9. The dragonfly is thought to have better eyesight than any other insect. Its compound eyes take up much of the insect’s head. Each compound eye has up to 30,000 facets or sensor modules, arranged to provide nearly a 360-degree field of vision. That's why it's difficult to sneak up on them.
10. Dragonflies are a common motif in Native American art, displayed on Zuni pottery, Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. In Japan, they are considered symbols of courage, strength and happiness.

The Bohart Museum, home of more than seven million insects, is open year around, but is closed to the public on Friday. It's directed by Lynn Kimsey, professor of entomology att UC Davis. 

But if you want to see dragonflies in The Great Outdoors, look for them near a body of water, whether it be a river, creek or...a fish pond in the back yard...

Flame skimmer perched on a tomato-plant stake. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Flame skimmer perched on a tomato plant-stake. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of flame skimmer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of flame skimmer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

And Now, Your California State Insect...

There's always something special going on at the Bohart Museum of Entomology on the UC Davis campus.

But this Sunday, June 3, something even more special "may" occur.

That's "may" because a California dogface butterfly "may" emerge from its chrysalis during the Bohart open house, set from 1 to 4 p.m. in 1124 Academic Surge on California Drive. 

Naturalist-photographer Greg Kareofelas of Davis, a volunteer at the Bohart, will be showcasing some live California dogface butterflies--and a chrysalis.

Kareofelas is rearing several dogface butterflies  (Zerene eurydice). The first adult emerged from its chrysalis on May 28. He’s hoping one will emerge during the open house.  

Even if it doesn't, Kareofelas will be presenting a slide show of the butterfly's life cycle. (By the way, Sunday marks the last Bohart open house of the 2011-2012 academic year, and yes, it's free and open to the public.)

Several years ago Kareofelas and entomology doctoral candidate Fran Keller teamed to create a California dogface butterfly poster, which is available for sale in the museum's gift shop.

What about the state insect? What do we know about it?

The high-flying butterfly, found only in California, is rarely seen in the wild. Its main host plant is False indigo (Amorpha californica), a riparian shrub that grows among poison oak and willows and along stream banks, often in steep and isolated canyons. The male has markings on its wings resembling a silhouette of a dog's head. The female is usually solid yellow with a black spot on each upper wing.

The California State Legislature designated the California dogface butterfly as the state insect in 1972. An entomology society in Southern California first proposed this butterfly as the state insect in 1929, but nothing came of it until 1972 when a fourth grade class in Fresno petitioned their state representative, said Tabatha Yang, the Bohart Museum's education and outreach coordinator.

The California dogface butterfly display will be one of the two main attractions at the Bohart's open house, which is themed “Bug Light, Bug Bright, First Bug I See Tonight!”  The other key attractions will be bugs that glow under ultraviolet light, according to museum director Lynn Kimsey, professor of entomology at UC Davis. 

Think scorpions. And don't forget that species of millipede found on Alcatraz Island. They glow, too! 

 

Egg of a California dogface butterfly. (Photo by Greg Kareofelas)

Egg of a California dogface butterfly. (Photo by Greg Kareofelas)

California dogface butterfly emerging from chrysalis. (Photo by Greg Kareofelas)

California dogface butterfly emerging from chrysalis. (Photo by Greg Kareofelas)

Newly emerged California dogface butterfly. (Photo by Greg Kareofelas)

Newly emerged California dogface butterfly. (Photo by Greg Kareofelas)

Behold the Dragonfly

Some folks wear their heart on their sleeve.  

Others wear a dragonfly on their chest.

As part of its public outreach education program and to showcase the world of insects, the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, has created t-shirts featuring a California dragonfly.

The t-shirt, designed by entomology doctoral candidate Fran Keller, features the white-belted ringtail, also known as a gomphid dragonfly, from the family Gomphidae.

UC Davis undergraduate student William Yuen, a part-time employee at the Bohart, traced the insect from a photo taken by Davis nature photographer Greg Kareofelas.

The dragonfly also appears on the Bohart’s “California Dragonfly Poster,” the work of Keller and Kareofelas. 

“William is an excellent artist, a brilliant student, a hard worker and has worked in the museum for two years,” said Keller. “I wanted to immortalize him and his talent and for his contributions to the museum.”  

 “This drawing is so precise you could identify this dragonfly by its wing venation,” Keller said.  The insect order (Odonata), family, species name and common name appear beneath the wing.  

Keller said more than 5000 species of dragonflies exist worldwide.  “Dragonflies don’t harm people; they don’t bite or sting,” she said.   

What else about dragonflies?

• Female dragonflies lay their eggs in or near water.
• They beat their wings about 30 beats per second (bps), compared to a honey bee’s 300 bps
• In both their larval and adult stages, dragonflies eat mosquitoes.  The larvae eat mosquito nymphs and other insects. As adults, they grab mosquitoes and other insects in mid-air.

The Bohart Museum is offering both short-sleeved and long-sleeved shirts in various colors online and at the museum, 1124 Academic Surge.  Prices range from $18 to $20.  

Proceeds will benefit the Bohart’s insect outreach education program. The museum, directed by entomologist Lynn Kimsey, chair of the Department of Entomology, is home to more than seven million specimens.   

Education coordinator Brian Turner and senior museum scientist Steve Heydon offer tours throughout the year, including the campuswide Picnic Day in the spring. Turner delivers presentations to schools, public libraries, fairs, garden clubs and others as part of the Bohart’s outreach efforts.

For more information, see http://bohart.ucdavis.edu/ or contact the museum at (530) 752-0493.

William Yuen wearing dragonfly t-shirt

UC Davis undergraduate student William Yuen wearing his dragonfly t-shirt. He has worked part-time in the Bohart Museum of Entomology for two years. (Photo by Fran Keller)

White-belted ringtail dragonfly

This is the white-belted ringtail dragonfly from the Bohart Museum of Entomology poster. The poster and dragonfly t-shirts are available at the Bohart Museum, 1124 Academic Surge, UC Davis, or at http://bohart.ucdavis.edu.

Sympetrum by Fran Keller

This spectacular dragonfly photo, taken by UC Davis entomology doctoral candidate Fran Keller, is a Sympetrum sp. that she took in her back yard on July 28, 2007, in North Davis. This is one of her favorite photos. "This picture," she says, "shows how incredibly delicate they are and their legs so slim and yet grasping on the edge of this twig they maintain balance. The eye color reminds me of a watercolor painting and the red on the abdomen is such a contrast to the yellow spots on the thorax."

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