(C) 2026 Lisa Loucks-Christenson. All Rights reserved.
Photo 1 – Then (early nymph, eating):
Tiny, hungry, and already fierce. This is Suds as a baby dragonfly nymph, mid-meal, with his shed skin (exuvia) still in the frame. One of 61 I pulled from the icy pool pond in late 2025, each in their own cage because of high cannibalism. Back then, his world was water, food, and growth. Back then, I didn’t know his name yet. Back then, I didn’t know he’d become Lionel’s likely offspring. Back then, I didn’t know he’d make me sit in BWCA smoke and mosquitoes, guarding him from mice, building 13 enclosures, and staying up for days with only hour-long naps.
Photo 2 – Now (emerging today): Photo (C) 2026 Lisa Loucks-Christenson. All Rights reserved.
This is Suds today—thorax out, wings on the way, pulling himself toward the life he was made for. After three days landborne, breathing air, dipping in and out of the water, struggling to find the exact place, he finally began to emerge this evening. He stopped eating about 11 days ago, when his adult mouthparts started forming and he could no longer feed with his larval ones. I promised I’d be here. And I was.
From pool pond to emergence perch, this is what perseverance looks like.
This is what grace looks like.
This is Suds.
Local Journalist Documents Rare Dragonfly Emergence After Eight-Month Rescue
Byline:
Lisa Loucks-Christenson | Rochester Sun Times News
ROCHESTER, Minn. — In a quiet corner of a home workspace, a dragonfly nymph named Suds is completing a journey that began eight months ago in the icy waters of a local pond.
Suds, one of 61 dragonfly nymphs rescued from what the caretaker calls “Pool Pond,” began emerging Thursday evening after a prolonged and difficult pre-emergence period. The nymph had been landborne for three days, breathing air and making occasional dips back into the water, leading to concerns he might complete his life cycle as a terrestrial nymph rather than emerging as a flying adult.
Dragonfly nymphs typically stop feeding 7–14 days before emergence as adult mouthparts develop and larval feeding structures become nonfunctional. During this critical window, mortality rates can be high due to falls, failed wing expansion, or predation.
“This one was different,” said Lisa Loucks-Christenson, an investigative journalist, author, and wildlife documentarian based in Rochester. “We had a unique bond. One of constant encouragement. He gave up several times. I finally went online to see what else I could do.”
Over the course of eight months, Suds was hand-fed and housed individually due to high cannibalism among dragonfly nymphs. Thirteen different enclosures were constructed and reconstructed in an effort to provide optimal emergence conditions. The nymph was guarded from mice, picked up after every fall, and even brought outside during smoky, mosquito-heavy conditions linked to Boundary Waters wildfires to simulate natural emergence environments.
On Tuesday, with body coloration shifting and behavior indicating imminent emergence, round-the-clock monitoring began. With only brief, hour-long naps between observation periods, the watch continued through Wednesday night into Thursday.
“Around 11 days ago, he stopped eating,” Loucks-Christenson said. “That’s when their adult mouthparts are forming, and they can no longer eat with their baby mouthparts. I thought, like the others, he’d simply emerge. But Suds was different.”
The emergence process began late Thursday afternoon. As the exoskeleton split along the thorax, the slow, deliberate work of pulling the body free commenced. Over the next hour, approximately 1.4 inches of thorax emerged, with the abdomen and legs slowly extracting from the larval exoskeleton, known as an exuvia.
Dragonfly emergence is considered one of the most vulnerable periods in the insect’s life cycle. Adults must pump hemolymph into crumpled wings to expand them, then wait for sclerotization (hardening) before first flight. Falls during this period often result in death or permanent wing damage.
“He kept turning his head to me,” Loucks-Christenson said. “I could see his little pupils looking at me. I’d put him back in the water, he’d climb out. He wanted to bask, then go back in for a dip.”
The rescue effort is part of a broader wildlife documentation project that includes ongoing monarch butterfly documentaries. This year’s work features caterpillars raised from egg through adult, including one named Galaxy, who was brought indoors on July 16 after a sibling and egg disappeared from outdoor milkweed—a loss potentially linked to a white spider observed on the plant stem.
“This year’s monarch documentary shares a new story with the caterpillars I’ve raised since I was a child,” Loucks-Christenson said. “But in the middle of filming, I noticed Suds’ color changing. Then I saw the split—the real split. It was his time.”
Suds is believed to be a offspring of “Lionel,” a previous adult dragonfly that remained in the area for several weeks before dispersing. Based on yellow striping patterns, Suds may be female, though final identification will await full adult coloration.
The project, informally titled “61 Dragons” and “Lionel: King of the Pool Pond,” has become a testament to perseverance, stewardship, and the often-overlooked lives of small creatures.
“When you promise a dragonfly you’ll be there, you keep that promise,” Loucks-Christenson said. “I don’t go through life expecting rewards. I hate money. I’m grateful for the critters, for the stories, for the moments when God shows up in the middle of the mess.”
As of Thursday evening, Suds remained in the wing-expansion phase. If emergence is successful, the adult will be released within 24–48 hours, pending weather and environmental conditions.
Further updates on Suds and the ongoing “61 Dragons” project will be shared via Rochester Sun Times News and associated wildlife documentation platforms.
“Lionel: King of the Pool Pond” memoir & “61 Dragons” dragonfly nymph story in progress — song & documentary at LisaLCMusic.com | All two-photos (Lionel top, 61 below) and text © 2026 Lisa Loucks-Christenson. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Lisa Loucks-Christenson is an investigative journalist, author, photographer, and ordained minister based in Rochester, Minnesota. She manages multiple digital media platforms, including Rochester Sun Times News, and produces ongoing wildlife and nature documentaries focused on animal behavior, conservation, and stewardship. Her work spans investigative reporting, theological education, and multimedia storytelling, with a particular emphasis on underreported stories and the intersection of faith, justice, and creation care. She has been raising and documenting dragonflies, monarch butterflies, and other wildlife for over eight months as part of her “61 Dragons” and “Lionel: King of the Pool Pond” projects.