Fifteen dragonfly species patrolled Lady Bird Lake this week, their nymphs…

June 25, 2026Northern Blackland Prairie

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Fifteen dragonfly species patrolled Lady Bird Lake this week, their nymphs having emerged into adult form during the spring's flowing water. Among them was the (Aphylla protracta), a species that demands the vigorous current and oxygenation of flowing streams. Its presence this season speaks to conditions that were, until very recently, favorable for this kind of specialist.

But the gauge tells a harder story. Creek flow touched zero in late June and now holds at just 0.24 cubic feet per second—a fraction of the seasonal average of 4.34. The nymphs that emerged in spring's abundance are gone, transformed and adult. Whether their offspring find enough water to complete their own development is the question hanging over the lake. In low-flow summers, dragonfly larvae crowded into shrinking pools face mounting stress from heat and competition. The species that thrives on flowing water may find itself, by midsummer, in standing water—or none at all.

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