We went to the Augusta Creek in Kellogg Forest to observe the behavior of the ebony jewel-wing damselfly. This species in commonly found around creeks and bodies of water with vegetation because they live, mate, and lay eggs in and near water. Our purpose was to collect data about variation in color and behavior, so we can consider if certain traits are under selection.
~With waiters on (to avoid leaches) we walked through the creek to find the "best" and "worst" locations to find the damselflies.
~After the best location was established we began observing and recording their behaviors and colors.
~Bug nets and boxes were used to capture and release them to get a closer look at the color
~A color scale was helpful to consistently measure the color of their body
Above picture:
The male damselflies we were looking at are bright blue and green with black wings (male top right flying) . The females are a muted color with lighter colored wings. A distinguishing feature of the females is a white spot on the tops of their wings. (females on branch).
The above picture is very interesting because the females are actually laying eggs in the water while the male is guarding them. We found over 10 females laying their eggs on the same branch! We are intrigued as to why they would pick this location. It seems there is something ideal about this branch. We noticed it was in the sun and near the edge of the creek.
What we found:
The best place to find damselflies is in the water with vegetation around and fallen trees in the water for them to perch on. The damselflies prefer to be in the sunny areas. It is very hard to find any in the shade.
Males will fight for territory many times throughout the day. They will also mate and the females will lay eggs many times a day.
Spiders are predators to damselflies. I saw a male damselfly sitting on a branch with a spider. Suddenly the spider jumped on the damselfly and quickly killed it! The spider began eating him and ran to a safer place with the damselfly in its legs to enjoy its meal in private.
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