Bog insects

Many types of insects flourish here. These organisms, at the bottom of the food chain, help to satisfy the appetites of larger animals such as amphibians, reptiles and mammals.

Damsel Dragonfly – These are the mainstay of any wetland. They dart here and there among the rushes and reeds. Though they keep the mosquito population down, the Damsel Dragonfly cannot eat too many mosquitoes because bog ponds are too acidic for mosquitoes to lay their eggs.

Blue Darner Dragonfly – Brilliantly colored dragonfly with stripes on its thorax, spots on its abdomen and transparent wings that are sometimes tinted yellow or brown.

Mariposa Copper Butterfly – This beautiful butterfly was thought to reside in the North Shore Mountains, not in the warmer climates of Burns Bog.

Two subarctic species of Blue Darner dragonfly reside in the bog and are among a large variety of plants and animals that have been known to live only hundreds of miles to the north, in colder climates. It is very unusual to find these dragonflies this far south.