DEAR JOAN: I take my dog to a dog park in Mountain View most mornings around 9:30 a.m. This dog park is actually a baseball field that allows dogs to play on the real grass in the mornings. I’ve been going there since it opened in 2020.
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For the last week or two there have been dozens and dozens of dragonflies buzzing around. They are the larger rusty colored ones. They fly around about 8-10 feet off the ground.
I know they need water for their larval stage but there is no water, other than perhaps someone’s pool or perhaps private pond, and Stevens Creek is more than two miles away.
Where are they coming from and why do they like the park? I assume they are in the mating stage of their lifecycle although I don’t see much of that going on. Do you think the large area of grass is something that they are attracted to and why?
— Leslie Dean, Mountain View
DEAR LESLIE: The dragonflies you’re seeing are most likely flame skimmer dragonflies, Libellula saturata. They are common in Northern California. The red ones are male; the females are less vibrant.
Dragonflies do need to lay eggs in the water or in marshy areas, but otherwise they are free to visit other parts of the area. Unless they’ve mistaken a dog park for a dragonfly park, they likely are there for the food. Dragonflies catch an assortment of soft-body flying insects including flies, moths, butterflies and mosquitoes.
They have the ability to see almost 360 degrees, and those magnificent peepers also can detect far more colors than our eyes can. They also are incredibly quick, catching their prey in mid flight.
Dragonflies emerge in the spring, mate, lay eggs and live the best life they can for about six months, so enjoy the show while you can.
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DEAR JOAN: What I think are voles have ravaged my lawn, and are now in the beds of bushes (azalea, pittosporum, camellia, rose and heavenly bamboo), making tunnels and churning up the soil.
The lawn is dangerous to walk on, and I’ve given up keeping it. I’m not sure what will happen in the plant beds, and I’m not sure what to do. They just get worse each year, and my yard is pretty bad now.
I tried repellents — caster oil pellets and even coffee grounds — but they don’t seem to mind either, or temporarily go to another location to tear up for a bit.
— Laurel, Walnut Creek
DEAR LAUREL: I think the damage you’re seeing is caused by moles or gophers, not voles. Vole “tunnels” are usually above ground, and resemble trenches, called runways. They gnaw the bark off trees and shrubs. Populations rise and fall every two to five years.
Moles eat grubs and insects, and the only damage to plants is accidental when they tunnel around roots. Gophers eat vegetation and cause the most damage. The tunneling in the lawn points to a gopher.
Trapping is the only certain method of controlling moles and gophers. If you’re seeing such extensive damage, you might want to hire a professional to take care of the problem.
The Animal Life column runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at [email protected].
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