{"id":6600,"date":"2026-08-10T13:35:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T13:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6600"},"modified":"2026-08-10T13:35:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T13:35:58","slug":"why-do-dragonflies-dig-a-mountain-view-dog-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6600","title":{"rendered":"Why do dragonflies dig a Mountain View dog park?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DEAR JOAN:<\/strong> 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\u2019ve been going there since it opened in 2020.<\/p>\n

Read more Bay Area events calendar for Aug. 14-20 weekly editions<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

I know they need water for their larval stage but there is no water, other than perhaps someone\u2019s pool or perhaps private pond, and Stevens Creek is more than two miles away.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t see much of that going on. Do you think the large area of grass is something that they are attracted to and why?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Leslie Dean, Mountain View<\/em><\/p>\n

DEAR LESLIE:<\/strong> The dragonflies you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

Read more Map: Timber Fire evacuation in Big Sur<\/a><\/p>\n

DEAR JOAN:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

The lawn is dangerous to walk on, and I\u2019ve given up keeping it. I\u2019m not sure what will happen in the plant beds, and I\u2019m not sure what to do. They just get worse each year, and my yard is pretty bad now.<\/p>\n

I tried repellents \u2014 caster oil pellets and even coffee grounds \u2014 but they don\u2019t seem to mind either, or temporarily go to another location to tear up for a bit.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u2014 Laurel, Walnut Creek<\/em><\/p>\n

DEAR LAUREL:<\/strong> I think the damage you\u2019re seeing is caused by moles or gophers, not voles. Vole \u201ctunnels\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Trapping is the only certain method of controlling moles and gophers. If you\u2019re seeing such extensive damage, you might want to hire a professional to take care of the problem.<\/p>\n

The Animal Life column runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Asking Eric: I told my parents if they move to Florida they\u2019re on their own. They did not respond well.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The insects are probably hunting for a variety of smaller, soft-body insects that they feed on. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-things-to-do"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy do dragonflies dig a Mountain View dog park? - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6600\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why do dragonflies dig a Mountain View dog park? - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The insects are probably hunting for a variety of smaller, soft-body insects that they feed on.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6600\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-10T13:35:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6600#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6600\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Why do dragonflies dig a Mountain View dog park?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-10T13:35:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6600\"},\"wordCount\":602,\"commentCount\":0,\"articleSection\":[\"Things To Do\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6600#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6600\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6600\",\"name\":\"Why do dragonflies dig a Mountain View dog park? 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