While walking in a meadow or along a stream on a warm summer day you are bound to see a multitude of insects darting back and forth trying to catch other, smaller insects. These are dragonflies or their smaller, daintier cousins, damselflies, and some of them are stunningly beautiful when you have a chance to look at them at close range. In this illustrated lecture, Ed Lam will give an introduction to the variety and habits of dragonflies, plus stories from a five-year chase—including some severe setbacks—to document the more than 320 North American species for a new field guide. After the lecture, Ed will lead a dragonfly and damselfly walk in the meadows at Bylane Farm.
Ed Lam is a nationally and internationally recognized authority on damselflies and dragonflies. He is the author and illustrator of Damselflies of the Northeast, a Guide to the Species of Eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States, and he is currently preparing the Peterson Field Guide to North American Dragonflies. In 2007, Ed took part in Bedford Audubon Society’s BioBlitz, documenting dragonfly species in our area. (Attendance is limited so please register early).
