Trait Clues at Willowbend Riverside Park

A Question at Willowbend Riverside Park

A nature team at Willowbend Riverside Park studied a species of damselfly that rests near the river. Members of this species have different wing patterns. Some have small dark spots on their wings. Others have plain wings. The team wanted to learn whether the difference might matter in different resting places.

The team made paper models the size of damselflies. It used 12 spotted models and 12 plain models. The models were placed for the same amount of time. In one test, they were placed among shaded reeds. In another test, they were placed on sunlit stones. The team kept the number of models and the test time the same. A peck mark showed that a bird had noticed a model. A peck mark did not prove that a real damselfly had been eaten.

The team also watched real damselflies. During one set of observations, a female approached a spotted male first in 8 of 12 trials and approached a plain male first in 4 of 12 trials. In a separate two-week record, 7 of 10 spotted males were seen in a pair followed by egg laying. The same happened for 4 of 10 plain males. The team planned to collect more records before making a broad claim about the species.