Best Rivers

Oshun is a major orisha in the Yoruba religion, governing rivers, fresh water, love, fertility, and wealth. Often associated with the Osun River in Nigeria, she is typically depicted wearing yellow or gold and is known for her connection to mirrors, honey, and peacock feathers. She is highly venerat...

Yemoja is a major orisha in the Yoruba religion, originally venerated as a river deity in West Africa and specifically associated with the Ogun River. She is revered as a nurturing mother figure and the patron deity of pregnant women, governing the waters that sustain life. During the transatlantic...

The splendid clubtail, *Gomphurus lineatifrons*, is a large dragonfly belonging to the Gomphidae family. It’s notable for its vibrant green eyes and dark stripes, characteristics that distinguish it within North American dragonflies. Primarily found in southern river systems, this species offers opp...

The Green snaketail (Ophiogomphus cecilia) is a distinctive dragonfly belonging to the Gomphidae family. It’s notable for its bright green thorax and black markings, primarily inhabiting clean rivers across Eurasia. This species is of interest to entomologists studying freshwater insect diversity an...

The small pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus) is a dragonfly in the family Gomphidae found across much of Europe and parts of Asia. Males are distinguished by the prominent, forceps-like cerci at the end of the abdomen, which give the species its common name. Adults are associated with running wat...

Ophiogomphus howei, commonly known as the Pygmy snaketail, is a small dragonfly in the family Gomphidae native to eastern North America. Adults are notably small compared with other snaketails in the genus Ophiogomphus. The species breeds along clean, rocky rivers and streams in eastern Canada and p...

The yellow-legged dragonfly (Gomphus flavipes) is a Eurasian species of clubtail dragonfly notable for its vibrant yellow legs and distinctive black-and-yellow abdominal pattern. This medium-sized dragonfly inhabits large, slow-flowing rivers with sandy or gravelly bottoms, where its nymphs develop...

Chalchiuhtlicue is the Aztec goddess of water, rivers, lakes, and oceans, whose name translates to "She of the Jade Skirt." In Aztec mythology, she was the consort of the rain god Tlaloc and presided over the fourth sun, or world age. According to legend, she destroyed the fourth world with a devast...

The skillet clubtail, Gomphurus ventricosus, is a large dragonfly in the family Gomphidae native to eastern North America. Adults are distinguished by the broad, flattened expansion near the end of the abdomen that gives the species its common name. Its aquatic larvae develop in clean, flowing river...

The elusive clubtail (Stylurus notatus) is a North American dragonfly in the family Gomphidae, a group named for the enlarged, club-like posterior abdominal segments found in males. Species in the genus Stylurus typically inhabit riverine environments and perch on streamside vegetation. The common n...

The Isthmus of Portage is a narrow land divide near Portage, Wisconsin, that separates the Fox River watershed, flowing toward Lake Michigan, from the Wisconsin River watershed, flowing toward the Mississippi River. Because it connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi system, it served as a vital...

The rusty snaketail (Ophiogomphus rupinsulensis) is a species of dragonfly in the family Gomphidae native to North America. It is typically found near fast-flowing streams and rivers where its aquatic larvae develop over several years. The common name derives from the distinctive rusty orange colora...

The Broads is a protected wetland landscape spanning parts of Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England. Commonly called the Broads National Park, it has national park-equivalent status and is administered by the Broads Authority under legislation enacted in 1988. Its network of shallow lakes, rivers,...

Danu is a prominent, though sparsely attested, mother goddess in Irish mythology from whom the Tuatha Dé Danann, the mythological pre-Christian deities of Ireland, derive their name. Her name shares a linguistic root with the ancient proto-Indo-European word for river, linking her to concepts of flo...

The Plains clubtail, Gomphurus externus, is a North American dragonfly in the family Gomphidae. It occurs mainly across the central United States and is associated with sizable rivers and streams, particularly channels with muddy or sandy bottoms where its aquatic larvae develop. Adults have the sep...

Situated in the West Siberian Plain of Russia, the Tobol-Ishim Steppe lies between the Tobol and Ishim rivers, functioning as a vital agricultural zone characterized by its rich meadow soils.