project homejoin indiscussionrelated projects






Participation fee $0
Expenses $0
Spend the time outdoors
Location Illinois United States Chicago
Children yes
Primary school yes
Secondary school yes
Teaching materials no


Required Gear:

A map, binoculars, field forms, and a camera. Forms are available at http://www.anisoptera.org/forms.html

The project's monitoring guidelines provide more detailed information about binocular requirements: http://www.anisoptera.org/guideline.html.


Dragonfly Monitoring Network


The Dragonfly Monitoring Network is a citizen-scientist program that monitors the health of dragonfly populations throughout the Chicago area. This program represents an important step in collecting data on insect populations and their response to land management techniques.

Volunteers will be trained to collect and submit data each summer from an assigned site. They commit to:

  • attendance of one Spring Workshop a year

  • learning to identify key dragonfly and damselfly species

  • conducting at least six site visits between late May and late September

  • spending one to two hours walking the route during each visit

  • submitting data sheets at the end of the season, which are then added to the project database

With your help, the Dragonfly Monitoring Network hopes to gain a greater knowledge of the distribution and abundance of dragonfly and damselfly species in the Chicago region and eventually to expand the network across Illinois and beyond.