Abstract:
Dragonflies have worked their way into popular culture perhaps more than any other insect, having appeared on clothing, jewelry, and in works of art, including tattoos. This insect is a beneficial one that devours mosquitoes, biting flies, and other pests to humans. One aspect of their activity that citizen observers report on to scientists is swarming--either in backyards, along beaches, or on migrations. Swarming is the gaping hole in understanding dragonfly biology, and Goforth relates how citizen observations are helping scientists close that hole.