Hobbies And Interests
Freshwater Sink Holes
The Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge has more than 60 sinkholes, which are ideal habitats for dragonflies because of the marshy environments. Each sinkhole has its own set of ecological conditions, depending on the amount and type of water that flows into them from the landscape. Some are completely barren with gypsum walls, while others have reeds, grasses and other forms of vegetation growing along them. The particular salinity of the water attracts species specifically adapted for it. Freshwater sinkholes support dragonflies such as Sympetrum vicinum.
Saltwater Sinkholes
The sinkholes in the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge can be only 10 feet away from each other but have completely different ecosystems. As a result, each hole holds specific species. Some sinkholes in the refuge are saltier than seawater and hosts dragonfly species only found in estuary conditions, although the sea is hundreds of miles away. Erythrodiplax berenice is an example of a marine species found in the Chihuahuan Desert.
Larval Habitats
Dragonflies spend the larval part of their life cycle in the water. A pregnant female dragonfly scatters her eggs over the water or inserts them into floating aquatic plants. The eggs of most species hatch within a few weeks, although some lay dormant for a period of time. The hatched larvae crawl along the bottom of the sinkholes or other habitats under the surface of the water. Many habitats in the Chihuahua desert do not have fish, a predator to dragonfly larvae.
Carlsbad Cavern Mouth
The Chihuahua Desert also includes the Carlsbad Cavern in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Like Bitter Lake, the cavern is home to a rich diversity of fauna, including dragonflies. The ecology around the mouth of the cave is mostly a wooded riparian habitat with permanent water fed from Rattlesnake Springs. The list of dragonflies, as well as the closely related damsel fly, includes more than 60 species, such as the saffron-winged meadowhawk.