Today’s post marks my 450th post and I think that is cause for celebration. It is thus time for another contest! Up for grabs this time is a breakfast set – a generous cereal bowl and coffee mug:
The set – large cereal bowl and a mug sized for a true coffee or tea lover
featuring my crawling ants pattern:
Ants!
Here are the rules, and they’re super easy:
1. Contest runs through 12am Pacific time Monday, October 15. Get your entries in before then.
2. To enter, simply leave a comment below with an answer to the following question:
If you could pick any topic that you would like to read about on The Dragonfly Woman, what would it be?
The topic you suggest must have an insect theme to it to be eligible for the contest, but the sky’s the limit otherwise. It could be about aquatic insect photography techniques, an insect craft project, a hard-core insect science topic – anything that you’d like to read more about! You give me a suggestion for a topic that you’re interested in reading about here and I’ll give you a chance to win the breakfast duo. Easy peasy! Just be sure to leave a working e mail address so I can contact you if you win.
3. I’ll pick my favorite topic from those suggested and write about it next Monday. The person who suggested the topic wins! In the event that two or more people suggested the same topic, the first person to make the suggestion will be declared the winner. I’ll send the winner an e mail asking for a postal address so I can mail the bowl and mug set. Send me your address and I’ll send you the loot.
And that’s it! Let the topic suggestions begin and good luck!
_______________
The Dragonfly Woman 
The likely national extent of the ‘stinkbug’ infestation and the possible natural and unnatural solutions.
Love the design of the bowl and cup set.
I’d like to see photos and read about the dragons you are seeing now. The activity in my area is dropping off. Are you seeing many, is it mostly the blue dasher like me? I’m not seeing many away from the water now. Are you? What environment are you finding them in, water, shallow, with lily pads?
Really do enjoy the blog, you’ve inspired me to get out and explore. I look for places to stop the car on the way home to see what I can find. Hate to see the season coming to an end.
I would love to see you write about aquatic insect photography including in the aquarium and in the field.
Large insects: How large do they get? What are the practical and theoretical limits?
I’d like to see something on Odonata larval ecology and niches. Charismatic adult odonates seem to get most of the attention, but they actually spend most of their lives underwater. There is considerable diversity in morphology, habitat, and behavior among the various genera.
Since it’s happening right now- swarming/migratory activity of dragonflies- especially the seeming difference between migration in the east (well known) and the west (spotty and more irregular)- Thanks!
I would love to see something about the aquatic coleoptera :)
Hi,
I would like to read about interactions between dragonflys and birds, like timing of breeding patternds, mistmaches…
I would like to know about migration of insects, in particular Dragonfly migrations, and in more particular, the patterns and life history of the Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens)
Jay Burney, Buffalo NY
As a hunter of underwater insect life to determine water quality in our local streams and the Black River here in SE Vermont, I’m also very keen to read more and see more about life “beneath the surface”! Dragon nymphs fool me all the time, masquerading as little waterlogged pinecones, until they unfold their legs in my net and begin to crawl about. They are so primodial-looking that they (and of course hellgrammites!) always steal the show when I find one to share with the audience — I often bring ‘bug hunts’ into schools and community events, to talk about water quality and introduce people to the denizens of the river,
I would like to read about those dragonflies that had enormous wing spans in the geologic past. What did they eat? I assume enormous bugs, but I don’t know for sure.
simple ids of local Odonata
The interdependancy of the insect world. I don’t think people understand how the tiniest of insects impacts the daily lives of other creatures.A linear explanation of life without insects and what that would mean to life on this planet ( or no life!).
If you could be an insect, what would you be & why? (maybe a Friday 5 – the top 5 insects you’d like to be :-)
What resources are there available for people interested in learning more about dragonflies? Notable organizations or programs or zoos?
I am fascinated by phasmids, particularly stick insects and their ability to reproduce without a mate. Would love to learn more about that!
What a great breakfast set!
I’d love to read about simple dragonfly research an elementary or middle school class could conduct.
What are the smartest of all insects?
I’d love to know more about rearing odonate naiads, if that’s something you’ve ever tried. I attempted it recently and my naiad made it through one molt, and everything was looking good for emergence…and then it died. There just doesn’t seem to be much out there in the way of specifics: people who rear for science either have impractical setups for the average person or don’t provide enough detail, and aquarists all seem to want to kill baby odes, making them sound super-tough and easy to rear whether you want to or not.
(I’m also very interested in other both aquatic photography techniques and dragonfly larval ecology posts–if you ever feel inspired regardless of this contest!)
i enjoy your blog very much. I started reading your blog 2hen i asked about. …the giant water bug. You gave a great reply but i am still curious about them…maybe you could go a bit more in depth about their behaviors. Interesting that the male carries egg…and how common are they in southeastern Ohio? Is there large population in Ohio? i have spent a lot of time gazing into ponds and clerks and 2 years ago when i found the giant water dug was the first i had ever seen!and after finding it. ..and calling it a giant water bug…i laughed again when i. Found out it really was a giant water bug. the other. .bug..i like is. Spiders. Is there anything fun and new to learn about those cute little striped jumping spiders like…why stripes? and while we are talking about stripes…what are those awful large…and i mean large ants…red…with bold black stripes…that sting/bite really bad…and that know one told me NOT to pick up. …because…it was so beautiful…what was that thing that stung me so long ago? Is it an ant? Does it live in a colony?was i stung or bitten? After all this time i still do not know what it was…my aunt called it. ..of course..a fire ant…but what we call a fire ant in Ohio was not what stung me in Oklahoma when i was a child. That’s all. thanks for your little contest and thank you for writing about bugs.! And dragonflies!
Sorry about the post previously by me. My phone’s word. Check is the devil in disguise…it subsitutes words and punctuation on me all the time…..uuurrrrr…..see above!
I would like to learn more about odonate entomophagy (should it be called odonatophagy?) AND I can’t imagine a better zealot than you to plunge wholeheartedly into this endeavor and the share your knowledge with the rest of the world!
The fourth chapter of Evans’ classic, Life on a Little Known Planet, deals with dragonflies and damselflies.
That paragraph follows:
“In parts of Asia and the East Indies, dragonflies (like certain other insects) have long been esteemed as food. The nineteenth-century naturalist A. R. Wallace reported that natives of the island of Lombok send their children out into the rice paddies with long ling stems smeared at the top with a sticky substance. When dragonflies alight on these poles, they cannot escape and are served fried with onions. On the neighboring island of Bali, the natives are said to prefer them fried in coconut oil with vegetables and spices. In Thailand, Laos, and other parts of eastern Asia, dragonfly larvae are strained from streams and ponds, and served roasted. They are said to taste like crayfish.”
Game to grab onto this topic? I’m thinking the answer might be yes!
I’d like to hear more about how you take your photos and post-process them, both the ones from your camera and the with your phone. I’d like more detail on that macro lens you use on your phone and what problems you do or do not have with it.
Of course, bugs and their eyesight would be a fine topic too (ha ha).
Nancy
Did you see my shout-out to you?
http://livingtheseasons.com/2012/10/09/fall-spider-webs/
How about the importance of woody materials to aquatic insects. Has anyone studied their acceptance of exotic plant material and how it differs from native plant material?
Dragonflies in film and literature.
I’d love to hear about tips for photographing dragonflies & damselflies in flight. I’ve tried over & over, occasionally getting something with identifiable field marks but otherwise blurry.
I would also like to learn how to begin identifying the nymphs. At least be able to categorize them into family groups. (Getting to the individual species level seems daunting at this point!)
silly, perhaps, but… to celebrate the “witching season”, how about a post on the 5 of the most unusual or scary insect superstitions you have heard and how they came about.
I’d like to read about entomology related volunteer opportunities and citizen science projects at the local and state level.
Here’s one that makes me crazy: photographing flying critters. I want to zoom in, but then I can’t track my subject. I end up getting nothing or – as if the critter is mocking me – a tail-only shot. I’ve tried less optical zoom, and, thus, a greater photo area, but digital zoom later usually proves the photo to be out of focus. Argh!
I’m interested in impacts of climate change on pollinators.
I would like to know more about the relationship between long/short term weather conditions and how it impacts insect activity in the area. I’ve been observing & noting local activity and weather, but would like to know more if what I’m seeing is a more localized phenomenon or not.