Miniature Tags Track Dragonflies

celardore writes "BBC News reports about the epic journeys taken by dragonflies searching for warmer climates have been revealed by scientists in the US. The team, led by researchers from Princeton University, found that the insects are capable of flying up to 85 miles (137 km) in a day. Each transmitter weighed about a third of a gram and had enough battery life to track an individual for 10 days; but tagging such small creatures is far from easy. "The challenge is first catching the dragonfly," said Professor Wilcove. Once caught, each transmitter was attached with a couple of drops of superglue and some eye-lash adhesive."

Re:Was I in Dragonfly Heaven?

[Whiney Mac Fanboy]

Sadly, 1/3 of (known) dragonfly species are listed as threatened or endangered on the IUCN Red List of endangered species.

Life that relies on small ponds (rather then larger bodies of water) tends to be quite sensitive to insecticides & pesticides. I suspect the pond you're talking about was nowhere near any orchards (or other commercial farming).

I'ts important to remember that nearly all ponds used to be like the one you're talking about - and could be again, if we just started being a little more sensitive.