Stygian shadowdragon. Ringed boghaunter. Elfin skimmer. Mythical creatures from the Land of Gondor—or commonplace insects darting around New Hampshire wetlands? These colorful monikers belong to three of the 160 species of dragonfly known to inhabit the Granite State. But just a few years ago, we didn't know these numbers for certain. Thanks to the New Hampshire Dragonfly Survey, nearly 100 volunteers have documented 8,000-plus sightings around the state, some of them surprising to scientists.

Back in 2006, Pamela Hunt, Ph.D., an avian conservation biologist with New Hampshire Audubon, compiled data from surrounding states' surveys and century-old naturalists' notes to determine everything she could about dragonfly populations in the state. She identified 56 species to be of "conservation concern—at-risk or rare." The survey—a partnership of her organization, New Hampshire Fish and Game, and the UNH Cooperative Extension—began in 2007 with a goal to collect distribution data and increase public awareness of dragonfly diversity and conservation. As the five-year program draws to a close, the good news is that just about all of those 56 species have been found to be widespread. (The ringed boghaunter is "one of the ones we want to keep an eye on," Hunt says.)

Gathering the data was made simpler because dragonflies are not only easy to observe, they're also fascinating.

The graceful, iridescent insects are probably the first winged creature, says Hunt, dating back 300 million years. Called odonates, or "odes" (from the order Odonata, Greek for "tooth," because of the adults' strong choppers), they are also expert hunters, munching on just about anything smaller than themselves: flies, bees, toads, other dragonflies, and even hummingbirds.

Then there's the dragonfly's reproductive finesse. If you've lingered by a pond on a summer day you've probably caught a glimpse of the male and female dragonfly "in action." Yes, they can fly while coupling, but that's not all. The male actually has complex double genitalia, one function of which is to scoop another male's sperm from the female, ensuring that he is the one doing the impregnating.

Dragonflies have survived so long because they are practically "bombproof," Hunt says. The survey has proven how adaptable they are—even inhabiting temporary retention ponds. Back in 2007, one species, the scarlet bluet, had previously been observed at only five places in New Hampshire and was on Hunt's rare list. Today the state might have the most sites in the world, she says. But dragonflies aren't indestructible. River species suffer when, for instance, a dam is built upstream and affects food sources.

Volunteers are already gearing up for this year's survey, as last year they documented larva hatching in April, the earliest ever recorded in the state. And while she won't be training new volunteers, Hunt welcomes any "already experienced New Hampshire dragonfly people" to join the survey in the northern part of the state this spring. For more information, visit www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Nongame/dragonflies.html.