Dragonflies: Aerial Acrobats

Dragonflies have been around for 300 million years, with several extinct species having wingspans of over two feet. Inhabiting sites around lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands, they are excellent predators, eating mosquitoes and other small insects. Michael Moore presents a detailed examination of the habitats that support dragonflies, as well as their lifecycles, foraging behaviors, and reproductive strategies. Tour our ponds and see how these aerial acrobats fit into our ecosystems and how you can create a place in your garden for them.
This program takes place in person at Mt. Cuba Center on Friday, July 12, 2024.
About the Instructor:
Michael Moore recently retired from being a Biology professor after 38 years. He learned a love of the outdoors from his father who was an avid outdoorsman and fisherman. He started birding in Massachusetts when he was 11 years old. Michael worked at Manomet Bird Observatory in Massachusetts in college and then completed a PhD in Zoology at the University of Washington on White-crowned Sparrow breeding behavior and endocrinology. He has published nearly 100 papers in scientific journals. He was on the faculty at Arizona State University for 27 years but moved to the University of Delaware in 2009 and retired from there in 2020. Michael developed a love for dragonflies and their biology after moving to Delaware and enjoys sharing his passion for the beautiful, fascinating, and underappreciated insects.