Conservation Kōrero: Discoveries in Dragonflies

Recent summers have seen the sanctuary humming with damselflies and dragonflies-a positive sign of our freshwater restoration projects. These incredible apex predators of the insect world are masters of flight, but aspects of their lives are still shrouded in mystery and intrigue, especially when it comes to some of the more elusive and unique species of Aotearoa.

Join us for a kōrero/talk led by dragonfly ambassadors Ruary Mackenzie Dodds and Kari de Koenigswarter to hear more about dragonflies and damselflies, and learn about their latest discoveries in the secret lives of the bush giant dragonflies!

This event will be held in the Pāteke Room with refreshments provided. Doors open at 7.00pm.

Speaker bio:

Ruary Mackenzie Dodds F.L.S.
Ruary is a “Dragonfly Ambassador” for the British Dragonfly Society with several published books and many public lectures and radio segments both in New Zealand and the UK under his belt. He has been carrying out research in and around the Pencarrow Lakes, south of Eastbourne, and alongside his wife Kari and Dr George Gibbs is currently working on a night filming project of the elusive Bush Giant dragonfly and its previously unrecorded nocturnal activities.
Ruary’s aim is to publicise the importance of dragonflies as bio-indicators to New Zealanders, how they can be used as a simple way to detect the health of freshwater spaces, and highlight their amazing life-cycle, extraordinary behaviour, and the threats they face.
For more details about Ruary, see www.ruarymackenziedodds.com.

Kari de Koenigswarter
Kari is a full-time artist and a specialist in the study of dragonfly larvae. She has worked alongside Ruary every step of his dragonfly journey. She has personally designed and run many Odonata Larval Identification courses in the UK, including for the UK Environment Agency.
Kari’s work in New Zealand has included identifying exuviae at Lakes Kohangapiripiri and Kohangatera in order to establish proof of breeding of species there. Quite apart from time spent staring down a microscope, this has involved standing knee-deep in lake water for up to an hour and a half at a time!
For more details about Kari, see www.karidekoenigswarter.com or @karidekartist on Instagram