Sekcja Odonatologiczna Polskiego Towarzystwa Entomologicznego – wczoraj i dziś

The intensive development of odonatology in Poland after World War II began in the second half of the 1960s thanks to the active work of Stefan Mielewczyk. This laid the groundwork for the formation of an odonatology group in the early 1990s, when cooperation began between Rafa Bernard, Paweł Buczyński, Andrzej Łabędzki, Stefan Mielewczyk and Grzegorz Tończyk. As the years passed, this led to the establishment of the Odonatological Section of the Polish Entomological Society on April 18, 1998. The newly established Section initially gathered people who were professionally involved in dragonflies, but quickly gained popularity and so by 2024 it officially has 66 members, both professionals and amateurs. April 2023 marked the 25th anniversary of the Odonatology Section of the Polish Entomological Society, which was officially celebrated at the 19th Odonatology Symposium in the Suwalki Landscape Park. During the passage of these years, many things have happened. Among the most important events is certainly the creation, on the initiative of Pawel Buczyński, in 2005 of the bulletin “Odonatrix”, which is devoted to dragonflies and in the current year consists of 20 volumes and three supplements. An extremely important event for Polish Odonatology, was the publication in 2009 of the “Atlas of the distribution of dragonflies (Odonata) in Poland”, which is the first such complete summary of knowledge about the dragonflies of our country. A very important element of the Section, starting in 2006, has become the organization of the Polish Odonatology Symposium, which is held annually in different parts of Poland. The annual conventions allow not only to learn about the odonatofauna of different parts of our country, but also to make new friends and exchange experience. The year 2024 also mark the 20th anniversary of the Symposium’s organization.