randy_byers: (Default)
[personal profile] randy_byers
Yesterday the Seattle Times reported that this past January in Seattle was the wettest in 53 years. We had 11.65 inches of rain, which is quite a lot of rain in an area that averages 36 inches a year. The article mentions the various lifeforms that benefit from such heavy rainfall in January, including frogs, salamanders, huckleberries, and mushrooms, but the one that caught my eye was dragonflies: "The insects lay their eggs in shallow ponds and lakes .... In recent years, many of those water bodies, especially in Eastern Washington, have shriveled up before the larvae could mature."

The heavy rains mean that there should be enough water in these shallow basins for a bumpercrop of dragonflies this year. Dragonflies are really cool. All is forgiven.

Date: 2006-02-03 06:05 pm (UTC)
ext_28681: (Default)
From: [identity profile] akirlu.livejournal.com
Dragon flies are really cool. And, today the sun is shining.

Date: 2006-02-03 09:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] randy-byers.livejournal.com
Well, the haze was shining there for a while anyway. Forecasts are for a pretty big storm tonight, although one also suggested that the weather will be nicer after that.

Date: 2006-02-03 08:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] holyoutlaw.livejournal.com
That's a good heads up. I'll keep my eye out for dragonflies this year. Yeah!

Date: 2006-02-03 09:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] randy-byers.livejournal.com
Dragonflies eat mosquitos. They also have sex in mid-air. I wish I was a dragonfly.

Date: 2006-02-03 09:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] holyoutlaw.livejournal.com
But do they have beer? That might be an important criterion.

Date: 2006-02-03 10:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] randy-byers.livejournal.com
Well, I suppose if the mosquito had just sucked blood from a beer-drinker ...

Date: 2006-02-04 12:03 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jerrykaufman.livejournal.com
I see a connection between good conditions for dragonflies and good conditions for mosquitoes. I presume we'll have more dragonflies because we'll also have more mozzies.

It's got to be an example of coevolution in action.

Date: 2006-02-04 12:49 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] randy-byers.livejournal.com
It's true. Where there's predator, there's bound to be prey.

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