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Friday, 13 July
Friday, 13 July
Trip 1: Spur End Fen and other sites
Trip 1: Spur End Fen and other sites
Difficult
Difficult
Spur End Fen
Spur End Fen
This is not a field trip for everyone. This is a half mile hike through hummocky forest that leads to the water track within the open patterned peatland. People will have a chance to see an amazing boreal forest peatland habitat that makes northern Minnesota so special. The water tracks in this fen are a breeding site for Quebec Emerald (Somatochlora brevicincta).
Possible Species:
Possible Species:
- Subarctic Darner (Aeshna subarctica)
- Zig-zag Darner (A. sitchensis)
- Quebec Emerald (Somatochlora brevicincta)
- Delicate Emerald (S. franklini)
- Brush-tipped Emerald (S. walshii)
- Crimson-ringed Whiteface (Leucorrhinia glacialis)
- Hudsonian Whiteface (L. hudsonica)
Locations:
Locations:
Main Water track: Lat 47.4934 Lon -91.4764
Second Water track: Lat 47.4920 Lon -91.4787
Parking off of Whyte Road: Lat 47.4863 Lon -91.4751
Heffelfinger Bog
Heffelfinger Bog
This site is an open bog pool with a nice variety of odonates. The pool is lined with Sphagnum moss, sundew, and pitcher plants. Species expected here include Lestes eurinus (amberwinged spreadwing), Aeshna subarctica (subarctic darner) and Leucorrhinia glacialis (crimson-ringed whiteface).
Lat 47.449047 Lon -91.381000
Wanless Rd 3mi E of Isabella
Wanless Rd 3mi E of Isabella
Alternate Site
Alternate Site
Easy to get to site with an amazing breeding site for Kennedy's Emerald (Somatochlora kennedyi).
Lat 47.6189° Lon -91.2892°
Trip 2: Isabella
Trip 2: Isabella
Easier Trip
Easier Trip
The greater metropolitan Isabella area, a forested and sparsely populated “town” with no real borders, is rich with Odonata habitat and we’ll be hitting a wide variety of waters on this day. The headwaters area of the West Branch of the Baptism River include a bog-bordered pond with a flowing, rocky outlet where the uncommon, Aurora Damsel, has been found.
The Wanless Lake Road bog is a rich little gem with a forest service road running right through it, making for easy access. It is a breeding site for zigzag and subarctic darners, ebony boghaunters (Williamsoni fletcheri), and Kennedy’s emeralds (S. kennedyi) and has healthy stands of the plant, Buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliate).
The Flathorn Lake site is a Forest Service picnic and swimming area (bring your suit for a cool-down) with large patches of wild rice (Zizania sp.). Expect to find a broad array of north woods Odonata at the lake. The Little Isabella River flows into and out of the lake and both sites should supply a variety of riverine species including twin-spotted spiketails, fawn darners and various Clubtails. The outlet is a premier dragonhunter breeding site.
Possible Species:
Possible Species:
- Aeshna sitchensis (zigzag darner)
- Aeshna subarctica (subarctic darner)
- Somatochora spp. (striped emeralds)
- Chromagrion conditum (aurora damsel)
- Hagenius brevistylus (dragonhunter)
- Boyeria vinosa (fawn darner)
- Calopteryx maculata (ebony jewelwing)
- Cordulegaster maculata (twin-spotted spiketail)
Sites:
Sites:
West Branch of the Baptism River headwaters, Lat 47.53420 Lon -91.31707
Wanless Lake Road Bog, Lat 47.61743 Lon -91.32868
Flathorn Lake/Little Isabella River, Lat 47.65801 Lon -91.45790
Saturday, 14 July
Saturday, 14 July
DSA Meeting and Banquet
DSA Meeting and Banquet
Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center is home to two small lakes, several wetlands, a river and a stream. There are a lot of dragonfly-chasing opportunities to be had without driving. Need a break from the meeting? It’s a 20 minute walk to either of the lakes.
Sunday, 15 July
Sunday, 15 July
Trip 1: North Shore Dragonflies and Waterfalls Tour
Trip 1: North Shore Dragonflies and Waterfalls Tour
Easier Trip
Easier Trip
Leader: Kurt Mead
Leader: Kurt Mead
We’ll carpool up the North Shore, stopping at various rivers that flow into Lake Superior. These habitats are the only place to see occelated darners in Minnesota and these are the western-most populations of occelated darners in the world. Arrowhead spiketails have been found in a few of these rivers, but more survey work is needed.
The rugged geology and landscape of Lake Superior’s North Shore is world renowned for its waterfalls and crystal clear rivers.
Possible Species:
Possible Species:
- Boyeria grafiana (occelated darner)
- Boyeria vinosa (fawn darner)
- Cordulegaster obliqua (arrowhead spiketail)
- Ophiogomphus carolus (riffle snaketail)
Trip 2: Sax-zim Bog
Trip 2: Sax-zim Bog
Easy to Intermediate, could be difficult depending how far you want to walk
Easy to Intermediate, could be difficult depending how far you want to walk
Leaders: Sparky Stensaas and Clinton Nienhaus and MDS
Leaders: Sparky Stensaas and Clinton Nienhaus and MDS
Sax-zim Bog Welcome Center, N 47.1465 W -92.7271
Lots of information available at the Sax-zim Bog Web Site.
Species list for Odonates and Butterflies of the bog
This site is about a two hour drive from Wolf Ridge, but totally worth your time! For the birders and butterfly enthusiasts…this is the place for you!
The Sax-Zim Bog is a large complex of mixed habitat types, including Black Spruce/Tamarack Bogs, mixed woodlands, mature riverine forests, agricultural land, and a diverse set of waterways. This diverse mosaic of habitat holds over 1200 species (so far!) of flora and fauna. This diverse list includes 60 species of butterfly (including boreal species like Purplish Fritillary, Frieja Fritillary, Red-disked Alpine, Purple and Bog Copper ), 14 species of orchid (including Pink Ladyslipper, Showy Ladyslipper, Green Adder's Mouth), bog specialist plants like Round-leaved Sundew, Pitcher Plants, Bog-Laurel, Labrador Tea, Bog Rosemary, and Leatherleaf. Perhaps best known for its winter birds, the Sax-Zim Bog has a diverse bird community in the summer as well! The Sax-Zim Bog boasts 18 species of nesting warbler including Golden-winged and Connecticut, 5 nesting owl species Great Gray Owl and Northern Saw-whet, Boreal Chickadee, Gray Jay, Black-backed Woodpecker, Sharp-tailed Grouse, LeConte's Sparrow, Sedge Wren, and more!
With 72 species of odonate, the Sax-Zim Bog holds nearly 3/4 of the odonate species recorded in St. Louis County! This amazing list includes 5 county records (Skimming Bluet, Black-tipped and Green-striped Darner, Plains Emerald, and Elfin Skimmer), 6 species of Somatochlora (including Delicate, Ski-tipped, and Plains), 10 species of darner (including Zig-zag, Subarctic, Fawn), 18 species of skimmer (Crimson-ringed Whiteface, Hudsonian Whiteface, and Calico Pennant), as well as good populations of Dragonhunter.
During this field trip, we will be exploring a variety of locations allowing a good chance at seeing what each habitat type in the Bog can offer. We will be visiting a mid-sized river, bog water tracks, a lake, and a large bog complex known as the Toivola Swamp. Through covering these locations, we hope to encounter Plains Emerald, Dragonhunter, Zig-zag Darner, Swift River Cruiser, and more! Hopefully, we will be able to find a diverse mixed bag of species in the diverse boreal habitat of the Sax-Zim Bog!
Timeline
Timeline
7:00 am- 9:00 am: Travel from Wolf Ridge to Sax-zim Welcome Center (van provided by Wolf Ridge for 14 passengers).
9:00-9:20 am: Meet and Introductions at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center
9:20-9:30 am: Travel to first location: Lake Nichols Road (9:30- 11:30)
11:30 am-12:00 pm: Travel to Welcome Center for Lunch
12:00-1:00 pm Lunch
1:00- 1:15 pm: Travel to Toivola Swamp, with stop at St. Louis River?
1:30- 3:30? pm: Toivola Swamp
*NOTE: The earliest Wolf Ridge can serve breakfast is at 7:00am, so people will have to be on their own for breakfast.
The latest Wolf Ridge will server dinner is 5:45pm. That means we would have to be on the road back to Wolf Ridge by 3:30pm to make dinner.
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