‘They have their beauty and charm’: Why these 2 youths seek out rare dragonflies to aid conservation
Mr Lumin Ong (left) and Ms Tay Jing Xuan are regular volunteers with NParks’ Dragonfly Watch and photograph dragonflies as a hobby.
SINGAPORE — While most youths might prefer the comfort of a cafe or mall to spend a weekend, Ms Tay Jing Xuan, 22, and Mr Lumin Ong, 21, would rather be wading through knee-high water in Singapore's wetlands and exploring different parks to hunt for rare dragonflies.
That does not mean hurting these delicate-looking creatures. Rather, the couple would scour parks, gardens and nature reserves with their digital cameras and mobile phones, staring intently at the tips of leaves near water bodies to spot their prize.
When they finally see one sitting on a leaf, it is a battle against time to focus their lenses and click the shutter button before these tiny dragonflies dart away.
Ms Tay and Mr Ong are volunteers for the Dragonfly Watch, a biannual initiative started in March 2017 by the National Parks Board (NParks) to collect data on dragonfly and damselfly species in Singapore.
The duo's adventures in nature reserves keep within the trail as it is illegal to venture off marked paths. Those caught straying off designated trails in nature reserves can be fined up to S$2,000.
The photos they take are not just for their social media pages and for the thrill of capturing a rare animal, but also for conservation purposes as the pictures are used to study the dragonflies' behaviours and preferred habitats.
"You get to experience the feel of being a scientist as you take note of the wilderness score, keep count of the population and species of dragonflies and damselflies and observe the environment", said Mr Ong, a third-year environmental and marine sciences student at Republic Polytechnic.
The wilderness score is a checklist of things to note about the environment, such as the forage and proximity to manmade buildings.
They were speaking to TODAY on the sidelines of their excursion as part of the Dragonfly Watch on Sunday (March 10), where they were spotting dragonflies and damselflies at Windsor Nature Park.
To be a part of the Dragonfly Watch, volunteers have to first undergo a training session before they are assigned to various parks and nature areas to survey and identify these insects.
Ms Sophianne Araib, group director at the National Biodiversity Centre of NParks, said: "By collecting data on dragonfly species and their distribution through efforts like Dragonfly Watch, it helps to establish a baseline from which we can monitor dragonfly population patterns.
"These monitoring efforts help us to understand the quality of the habitats and to track the number and richness of dragonfly species over time and allow us to develop management strategies to sustain or even enhance these populations."
Participants aged 12 and above can sign up and volunteer, though this year's Dragonfly Watch was limited only to experienced volunteers.
Volunteers will go through a training session where they learn basic surveying techniques and to identify 23 species of dragonflies and damselflies.
Before the watch starts, NParks will inform volunteers of their designated site which they would need to conduct their count at once during the event period between 9am and 5pm. The nine-day event ended on March 10.
But why dragonflies? Ms Araib explained that the 124 existing species in Singapore play a key role in controlling the insect pest population.
"As their larvae develop in water, dragonflies rely on clean aquatic ecosystems for their life cycle, and their sensitivity to water pollution makes them useful indicators of wetland health," she said, adding that adult dragonflies feed on midges and mosquitoes.
Speaking to TODAY, Mr Ong and Ms Tay said it is the vivid colours that attracted them to dragonflies and damselflies. The insects' intelligence in calculating the quickest route to catch their prey adds to the charm, they added.
The journey in capturing a picture of them gives a sense of achievement, but the process of doing so by being around nature also serves as a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life, said Ms Tay.
THE BEAUTY OF INSECTS
Asked how they picked up the hobby, Mr Ong said he has always had an interest in nature after watching ants marching in a line and dragonflies hovering around as a young child.
Growing up, Mr Ong would often take photos of interesting insects with his mobile phone and would post the pictures on his social media pages. His use of a phone often made him stand out from the sea of other avid nature photographers armed with large cameras and long lenses.
He also met Ms Tay, a psychology undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, in 2022. While taking a module for a life-sciences module for her minor, she grew a passion for nature photography and started posting the images she would take on her phone online.
As their passion grew, the two soon started dating.
It was only till two years into their shared hobby in December 2023 that the couple bit the bullet and bought dedicated digital cameras for about S$1,500 each, which has greatly enhanced their experience.
"The handphone works great but with the camera and lenses, we can photograph insects that are further away from the path," said Ms Tay at Sunday's Dragonfly Watch event.
At these sessions, some volunteers would not only focus on flying insects but also look out for any other creatures from a distance. On Sunday, they found a red-tailed piped snake having an Asian swamp eel for lunch.
Mr Ong excitedly snapped multiple pictures and said the snake is rarely spotted. "We also observe other animals beyond dragonflies because we're here to enjoy nature," he said.
Ms Tay also got lucky by getting her first photo of a violet sprite, an uncommon damselfly that she had seen before but never managed to photograph until Sunday.
Asked what her best capture was, she recalled one she took last year of a dragonfly known as a restless demon, so named because of its restlessness.
Having waded through knee-deep water in the Holland Plain marshlands and slowly inching towards the resting insect without disturbing it was stressful, she said. The marshlands have since been cleared to make way for the Cross Island Line MRT.
"It was so satisfying when I finally succeeded in taking a picture of the restless demon because if we moved quickly, it would easily get disturbed and run off."
Admittedly, Mr Ong and Ms Tay said curious onlookers would often sigh disappointingly when they discover that the couple are on the lookout for dragonflies, instead of a more exciting animal.
"They aren't as charismatic as other bigger mammals or unique like snakes," said Mr Ong.
"But they have their beauty and charm, and it's nice on the rare occasion someone asks us more about a dragonfly and appreciate nature."
Their goal is to "catch them all". There are 124 species in Singapore — Ms Tay has photographed about 70 while Mr Ong has about 100 to date.
The couple also hope more Singaporeans will pick up such hobbies and come to learn more about the smaller creatures often ignored by people.
"There's so much beauty around us, but sometimes they are just smaller and you need time to observe. Instead of rushing through a park, slowing down and observing the small things might allow us to stumble upon hidden treasures," said Ms Tay.
