There have been many occasions when people have asked me why our company is called Dragonfly Expeditions. The truth is that it was already named before my business partner Uwe Doeringer and I ever came along. Dragonfly Expeditions’ founder Michael David Cushing named the company two decades ago.  There were several reasons why he liked the name.  One was that dragonflies are found the world-over in a brilliant multitude of colors and shapes.  Another reason was that dragonflies are an “indicator species,” meaning they are generally only found in healthy ecosystems, something we deeply care about.  A great recent Miami Herald article about a current abundance of dragonflies speaks about Dragonfly Expeditions’ specific subspecies, displayed in all of our literature and imagery – the Common Green Darner.  However, we always prefer to return to the simple short story found on the back of our business cards:

Common Green Darner – Anax Junius

This species of dragonfly is found in and around various water bodies throughout the tropics.  It has been lauded for its incredible gift of flight and brilliant blue and green colors.  Green Darners are also one of the few travelers found in their species. Darners have been known to travel thousands of miles with the seasons.  They can be seen sailing mostly in the early morning or late afternoon while enjoying a meal of whatever insect flies their way.  Whether sailing on an ocean breeze or perched on a rock below some island waterfall, the Common Green Darner lives up to its name Anax Junius or ‘lord and master of June.’

Wouldn’t you agree that this describes us well?