The focus of the Wisconsin Odonata Survey (WOS) is to document populations of dragonflies (Suborder Anisoptera) and damselflies (Suborder Zygoptera) by identifying adults, nymphs, and exuviae (cast skins left behind near shore when the nymph transforms into the adult). In this way we are gaining increasing knowledge of where the 160+ species known to occur in Wisconsin may be found and their required habitats. This information is especially useful for rarer species. Citizen volunteers are greatly appreciated because there are far too many habitats to check for the few professionals who work with Odonata.

A beginning cooperator should start by learning the common species of Odonata in his/her area before doing much surveying. Purchase a field guide or two and a pair of close-focusing binoculars if possible. The initial focus should be to have fun, learn, and just enjoy the process of discovery and exploration! During this process, visiting the Wisconsin Dragonfly Society (WDS) Facebook group page is likely to be helpful and encouraging. There you can post your photographs to confirm your identifications, ask questions, and learn about coming WDS activities.

Another group of "tougher" species may still be identified in the field, but require capture. Individuals should be netted, their appropriate structural parts examined with a hand-held magnifying lens (10X loupe), and results compared to illustrations in a good field guide. Specimens that are captured and examined in the field can usually be released unharmed.

The goal of surveying should be to gain as complete a picture as possible of the species that occur at a site. Depending on season, one or more life stages may be present (nymphs, exuviae, or adults). A rule of thumb is to sample whatever life stage is available, preferring mature adults, if they are present, because they are the easiest to identify. However, some species are infrequently seen as adults and are best sampled as nymphs or exuviae.

When nymphs are ready to mature, they crawl out onto land and emerge from their nymphal skins, or exuviae. Exuviae have the advantage over adults of firmly indicating a breeding site; adults could have flown to a site from a considerable distance. Identification of exuviae can be easier than for nymphs because exuviae represent the final and most mature molt of the nymph stage where the key characteristics needed for identification are fully developed.

Mature adults are the easiest to identify, making them the most common life stage surveyed. Of these, males are often more conspicuous than females and usually, but certainly not always, easier to identify. You are likely to encounter many more males than females. In some species, females are very reclusive and are rarely seen. However, the ability to identify both genders is useful.

June and July are "prime time" for odonates, so your most intense efforts should be concentrated then. However, some species fly later in the summer and fall, often well into October. May is an important month as well, because some species, including some of our rarest ones, have short, early flight periods. A few migratory species arrive in Wisconsin as early as mid-April. Regarding time of day, the greatest diversity can often be seen during sunny, warm afternoons. However, some species are most active at other times, so the best time to survey could depend on the species you are looking for. Avoid surveying during inclement weather, as most species perch in trees or other vegetation then and are difficult to find. When collecting exuviae, time your searches to the known emergence periods of the species of interest because exuviae persist in large numbers only briefly (a few weeks at most) before wind and high water levels displace them. Mid-May through mid-June is a crucial time frame for collecting clubtail exuviae along rivers and emerald exuviae in bogs. An excellent goal for cooperators is to thoroughly document the diversity of dragonflies and damselflies at one or a few sites near their home. If this is your goal, visit the site at 10-day to two-week intervals during the entire flight period (late April through October).

The habitats of focus in recent years have included spring seeps; ephemeral ponds (vernal pools); large rivers; small streams that run through bogs/fens; wooded swamps; acid bog ponds and wetlands with sphagnum mosses; coastal wetlands; and alkaline wetlands. These areas hold species we need to learn more about, and they have not been as well sampled as some other habitats. Presence of sphagnum mosses, in floating mats or with scattered, fishless pools in sedge meadows, are good indicators for a number of rare species of emeralds (Corduliidae). In lakes, diverse shoreline vegetation often provides habitat for many species of odonata. Some species have very specific habitat requirements, whereas others can be found just about anywhere. Aquatic systems differ in a variety of ways including: waterbody size, water chemistry, presence or absence of sunfishes, and types of emergent and submergent vegetation. Moreover, at any aquatic site there will be a variety of smaller habitat areas that differ subtly from others in shading, shelter from wind, and types of vegetation. So, try to check all habitats present at your site. If you are looking for a location to conduct your survey, please reference the information on accessing Wisconsin's properties.