On a pond shore at a wildlife refuge in southeast Boise, beside the Idaho Shakespeare Festival grounds, recent Timberline High School graduate Ben Gallafent snagged the catch of the day. Researchers gathered around Gallafent as he reached carefully into his net and gently pulled out the dragonfly — yes, dragonfly — by its wings.
The dragonfly was a common green darner, likely one of the only insects to cross the rocky mountains while migrating, researchers who specialize in the insect told the Idaho Statesman. Thanks to Gallafent’s catch, researchers will inspect the dragonfly’s genes to test that theory– and learn a lot about Boise’s environment in the process.
The pond sampling at Barber Pool Conservation Area was part of a weeklong dragonfly workshop that involved high schoolers and college students to study Boise’s dragonfly ecosystems and publish research. The environmental nonprofit LifeOutdoors, founded by former Timberline teacher Dick Jordan, organized the workshop, which is in its third year…