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Archive for the ‘Insects’ Category

Blue-fronted Dancer damselfly

Posted in damselfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 3, 2024| 6 Comments »

I was delighted to spot this handsome male Blue-fronted Dancer damselfly (Argia apicalis) on Thursday during a quick visit to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. This species is not rare, but I do not see it very often at my favorite locations for dragonflies and damselflies. It is pretty easy to identify a Blue-fronted Dancer because, as its name suggests, its thorax is almost completely blue, with only a few hairline shoulder stripes.

According to Wikipedia, the damselflies in the genus Argia, are commonly known as “dancers” because of the distinctive jerky form of flight they use, which contrasts with the straightforward direct flight of bluets, forktails, and other pond damselflies.

Blue-fronted Dancers are quite small, about 1.5 inches (38 mm) in length, so it was quite a challenge to get this one in focus as he perched on some vegetation close to the ground. I am pretty sure that I switched to manual focus for this shot, because the autofocus of my camera has trouble staying on such a narrow subject and kept trying to focus on the ground.

Blue-fronted Dancer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Sidewards glance

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 2, 2024| 5 Comments »

Some dragonflies are openly curious and will look at me straight in the eye and even perch on me sometimes. Others will immediately fly away when they sense my presence.

This male Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula vibrans) that I spotted during a recent visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge seemed to be a bit shy. He tolerated my presence well as I moved about to frame the shot, but gave me a sidewards glance instead of looking right at me. Was it shyness or maybe a little impatience that I was not taking the photo more quickly?

Whatever the case, I was happy to be able to capture his beautiful speckled blue eyes so well.

Great Blue Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Slaty Skimmer (male)

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on August 1, 2024| 1 Comment »

I am always looking for cool perches when I spot dragonflies. Sometimes I will try to communicate telepathically with the dragonflies to prompt them to move to photogenic perches, but, alas, I am rarely successful—I guess that my telepathic powers are weak.

I was delighted on Monday at Occoquan Regional Park when this dark male Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) voluntarily perched on the flowering stalk of a beautiful dark red plant. I have no idea what kind of plant it is, but I really like the color combination of this dragonfly and the the vegetation. The twisting pattern of the flowers on the stalk were a nice bonus and add a bit of additional visual interest to the image.

Slaty Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Grounded butterfly

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 31, 2024| 5 Comments »

Most of the time I see butterflies in the air or perched on vegetation, but some species, like this Red-spotted Purple butterfly (Limenitis arthemis astyanax) are low-fliers and spend a lot of time perching on the ground. I spotted this beauty on Monday during a short visit to Occoquan Regional Park in nearby Lorton, Virginia.

It was hot and humid and it seemed like most of the insects and birds were taking afternoon naps, so I cut my trip short and joined them in their siestas.

Red-spotted Purple

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Insect Olympics

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Olympics, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on July 30, 2024| 1 Comment »

Inspired perhaps by the Summer Olympics in Paris, this female Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) was practicing her acrobatic moves last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Yesterday I watched coverage of some of the men’s gymnastics competition and I was in awe of the ease with which the athletes were able to do handstands in the air on rings, on parallel bars, and on the ground. I have always been in awe of the combination of strength and balance of both human and insect gymnasts.

I’d give this dragonfly a perfect 10.0 as a score.

Halloween Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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In the clouds

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Halloween Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis eponina) perch so high in the vegetation that it sometimes seems like they are perching amidst the clouds, like this one that I spotted a week ago at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. One of the advantages of this species’ perching preference is that it is often easy to get an uncluttered background. In addition, I frequently can get a shot like this one in which the light shines through the cells of the wings, illuminating them like a stained glass window.

Halloween Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Needham’s Skimmer (male)

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Portraits, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Immature male Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami) dragonflies are yellow and black in color, like the females of the species, but gradually turn into a wonderful shade of reddish-orange as the season progresses. I was delighted to spot this mature male Needham’s Skimmer last Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and captured this image as he perched on a stalk of what appears to be Eastern Gamagrass.

Needham's Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Tight squeeze

Posted in Bees, Birds, Flowers, Insects, Photography, Summer, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 24, 2024| 2 Comments »

The entrance to a partially-open flower on a trumpet vine was so narrow that a bumblebee really struggled to gain access to the sweet goodness inside last Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Eventually the bee was able to wiggle its way inside and add to the pollen baskets on its hind legs.

I could not help but recall how much easier it is for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) to access the nectar in trumpet vine flowers using their long, slender bills. I have not yet been able to photograph any hummingbirds this season, but thought that I would reprise a photo from an August 2015 blog posting entitled “Hummingbird and trumpet vine.” Click on the link to see some additional photos of hummingbirds feeding on trumpet vines and learn more about my encounter that day.

bumblebee

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Quixotic quest

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 23, 2024| 2 Comments »

I do not tilt at windmills, but often find myself engaged in my personal quixotic quest of trying to photograph dragonflies in flight. It is such a challenging task that I titled a video that I posted on YouTube, “Impossible Shots? Dragonflies in flight.” Despite the almost overwhelming odds of getting a good shot of one of these aerial acrobats in flight, I feel irresistibly drawn to trying over and over again whenever I see a dragonfly in the air.

I spotted this Black Saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea lacerata) patrolling over the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge last Thursday and was thrilled to capture this shot of the dragonfly as it flew past me.Black Saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea lacerata). I love the way that you can see how the dragonfly had enhanced its aerodynamic profile by folding up its legs under its thorax, a bit like the way aircraft retract their landing gear after taking off.

In case you are curious, Black Saddlebags are only about 2 inches (52 mm) in length, so I have to be paying attention in order to even spot one. After years of pursuing my quest, though, my eyes are now calibrated to recognize the shape of a dragonfly pretty quickly and my hand-to-eye coordination has improved with practice, so that I am able to track these a lot better than when I started.

Black Saddlebags

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Impressive Wingspan

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on July 22, 2024| 2 Comments »

I love to look closely at dragonfly wings. I have a mental picture of the cells of a dragonfly wing as being made up of regularly-shaped squares, like those on a page of graph paper. When I examine them in real life, though, I am always delighted to see all of the different shapes and sizes of these tiny cells in intricate patterns that rival those of massive stained-glass windows.

I photographed this male Widow Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa) last Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I love to see dragonflies with patterned wings and the males of this species have the added bonus of having both brown and white patterns on each wing.

This dragonfly was relatively cooperative and did not fly away as I moved slowly into a position that gave me a good view of the wings. I had to bend and crouch a little to get this shot that emphasizes the impressive wingspan of this handsome little dragonfly.

Widow Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Toothy grin

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Portraits, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 18, 2024| 2 Comments »

On occasion I have noticed a dragonfly that seemed to be smiling a little at me. Last week, though, I encountered a female Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge that seemed to have an exceptionally toothy grin—she seemed delighted to pose for me. I love the way that the background blurred out, allowing viewers to focus on the details of this smiling dragonfly and hopefully producing smiles on their faces in response.

Widow Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Mating Calico Pennant Dragonflies

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on July 17, 2024| 1 Comment »

When dragonflies mate, they usually assume a “wheel” position, in which the male grasps the female by the back of her head and she bends her abdomen towards his thorax. The position appears to be both awkward and acrobatic, but amazingly the dragonflies are able to fly while in this position.

I was searching for dragonflies last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge when a pair of mating Calico Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis elisa) flew by me and landed in some nearby vegetation. Calico Pennants are some of the most spectacular dragonflies in our area, with bright colors and distinctive patches on their wings.

Feeling a bit like a voyeur, I moved a little closer to them and slowly crouched a bit to get a better angle for my shot. In the image below, you can see how the female grasps the abdomen of the male during this process.

I was happy to be able to get most of the two dragonflies in focus, which is always a challenge in situations like this.

Calico Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Trying to stay cool

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 16, 2024| 2 Comments »

The entire East Coast of the United States is in the midst of a heat wave. Yesterday here in the Washington D.C. area we had a record high temperature for 15 July of 102 degrees (39 degrees C) with the heat index even higher. Yikes.

Following recommendations of doctors and weather forecasters, I stayed indoors for most of the day and worked on a few images that I captured last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, including this shot of a Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina).

Many dragonflies perch with their wings held stationary, but Halloween Pennants seem to move their wings about quite a bit to maintain their balance as they perch precariously on the very tips of tall stalks of vegetation. It is very easy to isolate the dragonfly from the background, because they are perched above all of the ground clutter, but it is a bit of a challenge to focus on the dragonfly as it is buffeted to and fro by even the slightest of breezes.

Halloween Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 13, 2024| 1 Comment »

We have a number of different dark swallowtail butterfly species in our area and sometimes I have trouble telling them apart. Recently I have seen Black Swallowtails fairly frequently and occasionally I will see a Pipevine Swallowtail. I know that there is also a dark morph version of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and a Red-spotted Purple butterfly sometimes looks almost like a swallowtail.

Are you confused yet? When I spotted this cool-looking butterfly on Wednesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I was not sure what it was. Rather than endlessly speculating while in the field, I follow what I call the “Law of the Wild West”—shoot first and ask questions later—and wait to identify my subjects until after I have loaded my images onto my computer.

I have grown accustomed to using a blog posting by the Louisiana Naturalist to help identify dark swallowtails—it provides side-by-side photos of four different species. On the basis of that posting and some other research, I have concluded that “my” butterfly is probably a Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) butterfly, a species that I don’t recall seeing the past few years.

The background of the photo is not particularly interesting, but I was patient enough to wait for the butterfly to open its wings, so you get a good look at the wonderful markings of this Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly.

Spicebush Swallowtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Complementary colors

Posted in Art, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 10, 2024| 6 Comments »

When it comes to color theory, red and green are viewed as complementary colors, i.e. they are on the opposite sides of a color wheel. When used together, complementary colors provide a high contrast and high impact color combination—together, these colors will appear brighter and more prominent.

A week ago I was delighted to post a photo of a perched Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina) dragonfly, a species that is almost always in flight when I am fortunate to spot one. A few days later, I managed to get some even better photos of a perched Carolina Saddlebags during a visit to Occoquan Bay Regional Park.

The lighting was good and the background was far enough away that it became blurry. The complementary colors of the dragonfly and the background really make these images “pop.” The interesting poses of the dragonfly draw in the viewer as well—a breeze was blowing and the dragonfly struggled a bit to maintain its hold on the tip of the vegetation on which it was perched.

It is really cool when the elements of a photograph come together like this and I am able to capture the scene in a way that is both technically and artistically pleasing. It was a good day.

Carolina Saddlebags

Carolina Saddlebags

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Needham’s Skimmer (male)

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on July 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Simple photographic compositions are often the most effective ones, like this image of a male Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami) dragonfly that I captured last week at Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton, Virginia. All that is present in the frame is the dragonfly, the stem of the vegetation on which he is perched, and a blurred background—there is nothing extraneous or distracting. The limited color palette and the angled pose help to make the subject “pop.”

Sometimes photography can seem so complicated, but at other times it seems natural and intuitive and I am able to capture the beauty of nature without having to think consciously about what I am doing.

Needham's Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Dragonfly and mites

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 5, 2024| 5 Comments »

I photographed this male Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) on Tuesday at Occoquan Regional Park. As I was working on the image, I noted that the dragonfly had an infestation of what look to be red water mites on at least two of its wings. You may need to click on the images to zoom in and you should be able to see some small red spherical objects that I am pretty sure are water mites.

According to Wikipedia, these water mites, likely from the genus Arrenurus, “establish an association for the purpose of transportation and nutrients, and attach to the host during the host’s transition from larva to adult.” Although these mites do not kill the dragonfly hosts, studies “show that parasitism by the mites affect the host’s longevity and fecundity by draining its tissue fluids, hampering copulation and interfering with sperm transfer.” Yikes!

 

Widow Skimmer

Widow Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Smiling dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Portraits, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on July 3, 2024| 3 Comments »

Can dragonflies smile? Although I realize that it is probably an anatomical impossibility, this female Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula vibrans) sure did look like she was smiling at me when she posed for this little portrait last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Great Blue Skimmers are quite common in our area during the summer and are relatively easy to identify because of their white faces.

Great Blue Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Carolina Saddlebags dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 2, 2024| 1 Comment »

I do not see Carolina Saddlebags dragonflies (Tramea carolina) very often and when I am lucky enough to spot one, it is almost always in flight. According to the Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website, “Carolina Saddlebags appear to stick to shallow, thickly vegetated ponds and marshlands,” which is a pretty good description of the place where I spotted this one last Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The same website described the Carolina Saddlebag’s flight tendencies as “Strong flier, often high, rarely perches.”

I spent some time that day watching several male Calico Pennant dragonflies, which are red and has patterned wings, as they flew around over the pond—check out yesterday’s posting to see a photo of a perched male Calico Pennant.  Suddenly a larger red dragonfly flew into view—Calico Pennants are approximately 1.3 inches (33 mm) in length, while Carolina Saddlebags are 2.0 inches (51 mm). I visually tracked the Carolina Saddlebags for a while and was able to follow it as it perched high on a stalk of vegetation in an adjacent field.

I was shooting into the light and at a sharp upward angle, which meant that I risked creating a silhouetted image of the back side of the dragonfly. I crouched a little to create a sky/trees background and waited for the dragonfly to give me a profile view. For a brief moment, my wishes came true and I captured the image below.

The image is far from perfect, but I like the way that it turned out. The focus on the dragonfly is a little soft, but I think it works well with the blurred background, creating an aesthetically pleasing little image.

Carolina Saddlebags

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Male Calico Pennant Dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on July 1, 2024| 5 Comments »

When male Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa) dragonflies are immature, they have yellow markings on their bodies similar to those of the females. As the males mature, those markings turn bright red. I was thrilled to spot several mature male Calico Pennants last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife, the first adult males of this species that I have encountered this year.

The bright body markings and the prominent wing patches really make this dragonfly stand out, although they are quite small, about 1.2 inches (30 mm) in length.

Calico Pennant

Calico Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Zebra Swallowtail and Milkweed

Posted in Butterflies, Flowers, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, tagged , , , , , , on June 30, 2024| 9 Comments »

I spotted quite a few beautiful Zebra Swallowtail butterflies this past Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The all seemed to be in constant motion, rarely perching for more than a split second and flying in unpredictable patterns.

Eventually I was able to capture a shot of a distant Zebra Swallowtail when it stopped to sip from a milkweed plant. I really like the composition of the photo, despite the fact that the main subject occupies only a small portion of the frame.

I could not help but notice that the butterfly is looking a bit tattered, with its long swallowtails already gone. Later in the season, I am sure that I will see many more butterflies and dragonflies with damage to their wings from the wear-and-tear of daily life. I am always amazed by the way that they are able to compensate and continue to survive. As I get older and slow down a bit, I try to remind myself to focus on those things that I can do and not on the ones that may be becoming increasingly challenging for me.

Zebra Swallowtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Needham’s Skimmer (female)

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on June 29, 2024| 2 Comments »

There has been a recent explosion of dragonflies at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, my favorite location for photographing these beautiful aerial acrobats. I spotted hundreds and hundreds of dragonflies this past Tuesday as I explored the trails at the refuge.

One of the species that I encountered most frequently that day was the Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami). The Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website provided a wonderful description of the Needham’s Skimmer. “This dashing summer dragonfly, a member of the king skimmer genus, makes quite a splash at the shallow, marshy wetlands it prefers. Relatively skittish, it spends more time on the wing and less time perching than other king skimmers.”

At this time of the year the males and females have a similar coloration, but as they mature the males will turn reddish-orange. The dragonfly in this photo is a female—it is easy to tell from the terminal appendages at the end of the abdomen. I love the bright yellow vein on the wings of this dragonfly, a feature that is shared by the males as well as the females of the species.

Needham's Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Living on the edge

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on June 28, 2024| 9 Comments »

The breeze was kicking up a bit and this Halloween Pennant dragonfly seemed to be holding on for dear life when I spotted in on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It seems to be that it would be safer and more secure to grasp the stalk a bit lower, but, like other members of the pennant family of dragonflies, this Halloween Pennant is a bit of a thrill seeker.

As the old adage, often attributed to John A. Shedd, states, “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” Sometimes, I think, it is good for us to step out of our comfort zones, which can turn into ruts if we are not careful, and take a risk by living life on the edge, like this Halloween Pennant dragonfly.

Halloween Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Female Unicorn Clubtail

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on June 27, 2024| 1 Comment »

I was excited to spot this female Unicorn Clubtail dragonfly (Arigomphus villosipes) on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay Wildlife Refuge, one of the few times that I have seen a female of this species. I am not sure if the females hang out in different areas from the males, which perch prominently on low vegetation or logs at water’s edge, or if, like some human females, they are simply playing “hard to get” and wait to meet the males on their own terms.

As noted on the excellent Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website, Unicorn Clubtails are “the only clubtail in Northern VA that prefers ponds and marshes, over streams and rivers…our only clubtail that can be found in completely still, stagnant water.” I know that is true for the males that I have featured already a couple of time this season on this blog, but is it also true for female Unicorn Clubtails?

How do you explain the behavior of females? It is one of the mysteries of life.

Unicorn Clubtail

Unicorn Clubtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Slender Bluet damselflies

Posted in damselfly, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on June 26, 2024| 5 Comments »

After mating, many male damselflies hold on to the female as she deposits eggs in order to keep any rival males from interfering with the process. The male grasps the head of the female with the terminal appendages of his abdomen in the “tandem” position and the two linked damselflies move about from spot to spot as the female inserts eggs into floating vegetation.

Last Friday at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge I managed to capture this image of a Slender Bluet (Enallagma traviatum) couple as the female arched her body, made a little slit in the vegetation and inserted eggs, a process known as “ovipositing.”

I am not absolutely certain I have correctly identified the damselfly species—there are a lot of bluet species—but I have made my call primarily on the basis of the markings on the abdomens of the male and the female. I intend to post this shot in a dragonfly/damselfly forum on Facebook and will update this posting if one of the experts in the group corrects my initial identification.

Slender Bluet

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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First Banded Pennant of 2024

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on June 25, 2024| 4 Comments »

During a short visit to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge last Friday I spotted my first Banded Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis fasciata) of the year. Pennant dragonflies like this one often perch precariously on the very tips of vegetation, which causes them to flap about in even the slightest of breezes, like a pennant.

Banded Pennants are somewhat uncommon and in some years I have not seen a single one, so I was happy to encounter this handsome male, the only one I saw all day. As you can see in all of the photos below, the dragonfly’s upper left wing did not seem to straighten out as much as the other three wings. From what I could see, though, the dragonfly was able to fly quite well despite this injury or deformity.

Banded Pennant

Banded Pennant

Banded Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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First Swift Setwing of 2024

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on June 24, 2024| 2 Comments »

I was thrilled to spot my first Swift Setwing dragonfly (Dythemis velox) of the season this past Friday at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. These little dragonflies perch in a distinctive pose with their wings pulled forward, which looked to some scientist like the “ready-set-go” position of a sprinter and is reportedly the reason for the name of the species.

Eight years ago I spotted my first Swift Setwing dragonfly ever at this same location. This primarily southern species had never before have been documented in Fairfax County, Virginia, the county where I live, so it is kind of special for me to see them each year. (You can see details of that first sighting in my 25 June 2016 posting Swift Setwing dragonfly.)

Swift Setwings like to perch facing the water on overhanging vegetation, so it is a challenge to get a shot of one without getting my feet wet.  I had to find a little visual tunnel through the vegetation to get this shot, but I did manage to stay dry.

Swift Setwing

 

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Another Unicorn Clubtail dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on June 22, 2024| Leave a Comment »

There must be something special about this perch. One week after I photographed a Unicorn Clubtail dragonfly (Arigomphus villosipes) on a log at the edge of a small pond at Occoquan Regional Park, I  spotted another Unicorn Clubtail in the exact same spot. Perhaps it was even the same individual, hanging out in the same old places, as this wildlife photographer is wont to do.

The edge of the pond is very mucky, so I couldn’t get any closer to give you a better view of the little “horn” that sticks up between the eyes and gives rise to the name “unicorn.” You’ll have to trust me on that point or check out a 2017 blog post entitled Unicorn in Northern Virginia that includes a better view of the unicorn “horn.”

We are in the midst of a real heat wave, with daily temperatures soaring into the mid-90’s (35 degrees C), so my wildlife forays are shorter than normal. Don’t worry, I am taking it slow, seeking shade whenever possible, and carrying water with me. Forecasters predict that this heat wave will continue for at least another week.  Yikes!

Unicorn Clubtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Petaltail and prey

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , on June 21, 2024| 3 Comments »

When I spotted this Gray Petaltail dragonfly (Tachopteryx thoreyi) on Monday at Occoquan Regional Park, I could see that it was feasting on some kind of insect that it had caught, but I could not get close enough to identify the prey. Dragonflies are fierce predators that feed on a wide variety of insects, sometimes including other dragonflies or damselflies.

When I examine the image carefully I can just make out the wings and legs and possibly an eye of the victim, but that does not help me to identify it. The dragonfly was perched high on the trunk of the tree and when I tried to move closer to get a better shot, the sharp angle made it even harder to see what was going on. I was happy enough to capture this profile view of the Gray Petaltail, which would otherwise have been pretty well camouflaged by the rough bark of the tree.

Gray Petaltail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Widow Skimmer (male)

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on June 20, 2024| 6 Comments »

Many dragonflies have transparent wings that seem to disappear when they are flying, making them look even smaller and hard to detect. Male Widow Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula luctuosa), however, have such large bi-colored patches on their wings that they look almost like butterflies when in flight, an impression heightened by the fluttering way that they fly.

I was thrilled when I spotted this male Widow Skimmer—the females of this species do not have the white wing patches—on Monday at Occoquan Regional Park. The dragonfly flew by me numerous times and I watched and waiting, hoping that it would land.  My patience eventually paid off and I was able to capture this shot that shows off its wings beautifully. This may not be the most artistic image that I have ever captured, but it is a good one to use for the purpose of identification.

One of the coolest things about photography is that it can be both scientific and artistic, allowing me to be as geeky as I want in either domain.

Widow Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Female Sable Clubtail dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on June 19, 2024| 2 Comments »

Sable Clubtail dragonflies (Stenogomphurus rogersi) are uncommon in my area. This dragonfly species is generally found only in very small numbers, has a short flight period, and requires very specific habitats, preferably a small, clean forest stream. There is only one location in my area where I have found Sable Clubtails in the past and some years I have not seen a single one.

I was therefore really excited on Monday when I spotted what I thought might be a Sable Clubtail. I was not sure of my identification, though, because this dragonfly was in a different location at the park, not along the stream where I had seen Sable Clubtails in the past.

When I returned home and examined my photos on my computer, I was shocked to see that the dragonfly was a female–I am pretty sure that all of the Sable Clubtails that I have previously seen were males. For the sake of comparison, I have added a photo of a male that was part of a posting I did on 10 June 2024 entitled Sable Clubtail dragonfly (male). If you look closely at the tip of the abdomen (the “tail”) of each dragonfly, you will see different shaped terminal appendages, which are key factors in helping to identify the gender of a dragonfly.

Different dragonfly species have different courting behaviors. In some cases, the males and females are present in the same area, but in other cases, the females remain in a different area until they are actually ready for mating. I looked through my resources and on-line to see if I could find any information about the behavior of Sable Clubtail females, but came up empty-handed.

Where do female Sable Clubtails like to hang out? With a sample size of only one, I certainly can’t come to any conclusions, but I will continue to keep my eyes open and perhaps I will encounter another one.

Sable Clubtail

Sable Clubtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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