Creditview Wetland

Dragonfly or Damselfly?  Perching behaviour, colouration, shape of the wings and closeness of their ‘huge’ eyes help to quickly identify these amazing creatures. The small, red-black, reddish-brown thorax guy has huge rusty- brown eyes, almost together – his wings spread while perched horizontally. These physical, structural and behavioural characteristics indicate that this invertebrate is a dragonfly – perhaps a Ruby Meadowhawk. Is he perched to rest, to survey, to hunt, to defend his territory or to dine on this Common Burdock plant?

Looks like another dragonfly to me. How many broad black bands on her (?) wings?  What’s she doing on the Burdock in the Wetland’s East Meadow Buffer? Are dragonflies predators? The Creditview Wetland is a choice urban wilderness for this member of the Skimmer family and she (?) has many relatives - other species in her (?) family of Skimmers. They can be very difficult to identify.

If you look closely at the photos, you will notice the purplish coloured flowers and the spines (hooks on the end) of this Burdock. This floral species inspired the invention of “Velcro’. The Burdock is a member of the Aster family and its seeds hitch rides on animals – the burs cling easily to an animal’s fur (or human clothing). Its leaves are heart shaped, green and very large (+/- 25 cm long). You’d almost think that this ‘alien’ plant from Eurasia would be considered an ‘invasive’ – especially if you’ve noticed the sheer numbers on the east and north Wetland Cultural Meadow ecosites.

Did you know that slugs and snails are molluscs? This Banded Wood Snail (approx. 2.5 cm in diameter), as are other snails, is legless and he glides on a path of ‘mucus’. ‘Yuck’! The adults will feed on the ‘Burdock’ leaves – see above. You’re more than likely to see snails on a cloudy day. How do Banded Wood Snails support other Wetland life-forms, habitats?