Mike Powell

I haven’t yet checked this week, but these Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum vicinum) that I spotted on 17 November at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge are likely to be among the last dragonflies that I see this season.

Autumn Meadowhawks frequently perch flat on the ground or on dried leaves on the ground. I was delighted when a male Autumn Meadowhawk perched almost vertically on a colorful fallen leaf and I was able to capture the first image below. By contrast, the female in the second photo chose a less interesting drab leaf on which to perch.

I’ll try to go out later this week to see if I can find some late season survivors, but it is becoming clear to me that this year’s dragonfly season is nearly over.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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I think that we may well be down to our last surviving dragonfly species. On 10 November I ventured out to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge to look for any remaining dragonflies or butterflies. I did not find any butterflies, but was delighted to spot close to a dozen Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum vicinum).

Our temperatures this past week have dropped down close to the freezing level, which most dragonflies cannot tolerate. Autumn Meadowhawks, however,  are hardy enough to survive a few light frosts as long as daytime temperatures remain relatively warm and sunny. Once we start receiving a few heavy frosts the remaining population starts to die off.

I was happy to capture some photos of Autumn Meadowhawks as they perched on the colorful leaves that litter many of the trails at the wildlife refuge. The dragonflies appeared to be content to remain in place soaking up the warmth of the sun as I approached and some even posed for me.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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For a variety of reasons I did not manage to go out with my camera this past week, so I went through my photos from the previous week and was delighted to find this photo of a Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum vicinum). As I have noted in previous postings, Blue-faced Meadowhawks have such a wonderful combination of colors that make them one of my favorite dragonfly species.

I was quite fortunate that this particular individual landed on some leaves right next to one of my feet, so I was able to capture this cool image by shooting almost directly downwards. In fact, I had to digitally remove a bit of the boot I was wearing from the lower left edge of the photo to keep the viewer from getting distracted.

Several days ago we had some frost warnings, so I fear that more of the dragonflies will have disappeared for the season. Still, I hope to return to my local wildlife refuge in the next few days to see what I can find.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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It’s always fun to try to capture a shot of an Autumn Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum vicinum) with beautiful fall colors in the background, as I did last Friday (31 October) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Autumn Meadowhawks are invariably the last surviving species of the dragonfly season. In past years I have spotted them as late as the middle of December, and fellow dragonfly enthusiasts have reportedly seen them in our area in early January.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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We have now reached a point in the dragonfly season where Autumn Meadowhawks (Sympetrum vicinum) are the dragonfly species that I see most frequently. Most other species have gradually disappeared and I seen only occasional survivors that are still hanging on. There is something about the physiology of Autumn Meadowhawks that allows them to tolerate the cold better than other dragonflies and in past years I have seen them as late as the middle of December.

Last Friday I spotted over a dozen Autumn Meadowhawks at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and was able to capture photos of several of them. Autumn Meadowhawks tend to perch flat on the ground, so it can be a bit difficult to spot them, especially when they choose to land on fallen leaves that camouflage them almost perfectly.

Female Autumn Meadowhawks are a mixture of red and brown colors, as you can see in the first photo below, while the males of the species are bright red, as you can see in the final photo. Both genders have beautiful brown eyes.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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