March 10,2010
Dragonflies
You might see a dragonfly while you are mowing the lawn or fishing, and think for a moment that dragonflies are interesting to see, and maybe think that it’s good that they eat mosquitoes, then you go back to your work or play and forget them.
They deserve a little more attention, and when you do pay more attention, you will be glad you did.
Dragonflies and damselflies are insects in the order Odonata. They have six legs but they do not walk. They can move their front wings independently of the rear wings. They see better in front and above, so if you want to net them, approach from below and behind. Dragonflies eat other insects, often including other odonates.
Scientific names: dragonflies are Anisoptera; damselflies are Zygoptera. Anisoptera comes from Greek terms meaning “not, equal, wings.” Dragonflies’ rear wings are larger than the front wings. Odonata comes from the Greek odonto, meaning toothed, referring to the imposing dental accoutrements by which they devour other winged creatures. Zygoptera comes from Greek roots meaning paired wings, as the two sets of wings are nearly identical.
Dragonflies lay their eggs in slow moving or still water. The eggs hatch into carnivorous nymphs which may live for six months to two years before emerging to molt out of their exoskeleton, spreading wings out to dry, and off they go to fly for a season while mating and eventually dying.
If you hang out at lakes or ponds containing vigorous cattail stands, you will see damselflies as well as dragonflies. Damselflies are slender, like pencil leads, with eyes set wide apart, blue/black or green/black long bodies, and wings cocked over the body. They are typically 1.3 to 1.8 inches long. Damselflies are not young dragonflies.
Most people do not know that Wyoming is a rich haven for dragons and damsels. During the flight season they are almost everywhere; low, high, wet or dry. Dozens of species of each are waiting to be found. Red, blue, amber, green, black; they are all about. There are more in marshes, but we have had a dozen species in our back yard. Grab that new digital camera and look for them between June and September. Send the photos to a website (Odonate Central) if you are certain of identifying the species, or send them to me if you are not, and if I have time I will try to identify them. My email: TheSageGrouse@wyofile.com
Odonate Central: http://www.odonatacentral.org/index.php/PageAction.get/name/HomePage
Want to know more? Books:
Paulson, Dennis. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West. Princeton Univ.
Borror & White. Peterson Field Guide to Insects. Houghton Mifflin
Dunkle, Sidney. Dragonflies Through Binoculars. Oxford Univ. Press.
(My favorite is Paulson’s book. Yours might be Dunkle’s as it’s a lot easier to use.)
March 9, 2010
Bear Baiting is Not Sport
Hunting wary ducks, deer and pheasants requires stealth, skill and often a significant commitment of energy which requires physical conditioning. The chance that many of the prey might get away, coupled with the foregoing, is what many hunters consider to define sportsmanship. I have bagged many deer and a few antelope, a few elk, a few goats and a big horn sheep, and lots of birds, and for the most part I have been proud of the sportsmanship shown by myself and my ethical companions.
Wilderness sheep and elk hunters frequently encounter grizzly bears, which sometimes leads to a mauling by the bear or a shooting by the hunter. These encounters involve factors beyond the control of the sportsman, which, again, makes these activities somewhat sportsmanlike, sometimes more so than others. It has been my good fortune that when I encountered grizzlies, they were smart enough to go the other way and I was smart enough to do the same.
Then there is bear baiting. This tactic, almost always practiced in the spring, usually involves buying an old horse or mule and leading it into the woods, shooting it in the head, and leaving it there. My father told me of practices of enhancing the bait with bacon grease, peanut butter and other stinky substances. The hunter leaves this mess of meat and whatever to rot and stink in the sun until the bears, emerging hungrily from their winter dens, fall upon the unexpected treat to gorge themselves, whereupon the hunter, hiding in his blind, shoots them like target practice, like dogs.
This practice is actually legal. Baiting ducks has been illegal for 80 years. I had not thought about this for years until my editor asked “what the hell is this?” but maybe people should contact the Board of Outfitters and ask them why they allow licensed outfitters to lure bears into traps to be shot remorselessly.
This is not sportsmanlike. This is lawn chair murder.
As a former church lobbyist for the Wyoming Association of Churches I can attest to the fact that these gun issues are all NRA driven. I was at one hearing when the legislators were proudly displaying their NRA membership cards to the lobbyist. This is not just in an election year. Its every year. Last year it was the “Castle Doctrine”. Most of the proposed bills will make life much more dangerous for law enforcement officers. For self protection sake they will have to be a lot more aggressive on traffic stops.
Thank-you, Mr. Cox, for the article, “Weird Anti-Obama Fallout: Guns.” It seems that many feel you can’t support our President and be a gun-toter, too. Your argument is rational, cogent, and should be published across the country. I’ll vote for you as “Sage.”
Dear RT:
I’m not concerned about you having concealed carry, or myself (should I chose to pursue a permit), but that twitchy guy over there, at the end of the bar, him I’d worry about.
It doesn’t take much imagination (or common sense) to see how arming Tom, Dick and Harry with concealed carry could go horribly wrong.
It seems that some of our politicians are engaged in NRA idolatry, worshipping at the altar of guns for pretty much everyone, anywhere, anytime.
Robert Heinlein wrote that an armed society is a polite society, because rude people will inevitably encounter someone faster and more accurate than themselves. Rude, unintelligent people will tend to weed themselves out in a heavily armed society. While that might be viewed as a positive good, I don’t see it happening without extensive and unforeseen collateral damage and innocent victims caught in the cross-fire.
There is a fantasy out there, that being armed equates with being an I’ll-survive-anything bad-ass, but that simply isn’t true. I don’t care if you’re armed to the teeth — sooner or later, you have to sleep, you have to let your guard down. And if you’re an extreme bad-ass, that’s when your enemies will come after you. It is far better to have supportive friends than an armory for an army of one.
A civil society is not necessarily an armed society, but one which exercises self-restraint and common sense — two qualities which are sorely missing among the sponsors of this bill. Maybe their next bill will be bazookas for fourth graders. What could possibly go wrong?
Every once in a while a legislator uses a lot of common sense. One of the most conservation legislators President of the Senate John Hines – strongly suggested that there were a lot of crazies out there and arming them is probably not a good idea. I hope the rest of the legislature heeds his message. How come these NRA issues always come up in election years?????
Yes, RT, please find out who supplies these gun ideas to the legislature. I want to know. I am with you all the way. Laney
Hi RT … long time no see. I was in the House lobby on the first day of the session, talking with a legislator, when the sheriffs’ lobbyist came by to say that the bill allowing Wyo residents to carry Wyo guns was being looked at again to make sure Wyo residents didn’t include Wyo felons… oh dear me …
I believe that “Laney” is mistaken about the photo.
Mr Grouse. You finally found a creative place to plant your grousings. Much better reception here than before a bunch of old duck hunting buddies. Keep it up. I am enjoying it.
Hailing from the South, being an ornithologist and wildlife biologist, and having a soft spot for iconoclastic tendencies in people and institutions, I look forward to more from the Sage Grouse about the Greater Sage-grouse and other subjects of interest. Look me up at the Draper Museum of Natural History when you’re in Cody.
I find it very interesting RT that you state the grouse are under stress.
Yet, you defended energy companies who destroyed landscapes and their very habitat.
I believe you talk out of both sides of your mouth.
Yes, interesting column. I am wondering what RT sees as his role and objective. I think it is fine to see oneself as not fitting a standard role, but I would like some discussion as something beside a politically incorrect person. That is a terrible picture of RT. I could do much better.
Although, in your second paragraph, you correctly hyphenated “sage” and “grouse:, you DID split an infinitive! Otherwise, a great introductory article; I look forward to many more. And, as a fellow double agent (geologist and conservationist) and veteran of many environmental adventures in Wyoming, I want to meet you.
The next time you are in Casper, give me a message, and I’ll buy lunch.
Bart Rea
RT, good luck grousing. What is that river behind you in the picture? It looks like the Yellowstone.
RT, I look forward to reading your articles on sage grouse. I too stopped hunting them about 7 years ago. I like your idea of shooting only males like in pheasants and I’m sure the G&F would have instituted that long ago. . .but dude, come on. You can’t tell the difference between the two in the fall. A big old rooster pheasant blasting up with green head and dark plumage compared to a light brown hen is an easy ID. You can’t do this with sage grouse in the fall. They look alike. Be careful writing this stuff or you’re going to lose your credibiity fast.