I spotted this Black Saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea lacerata) on Monday (22 September) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Normally I see members of this species flying overhead, but this one cooperated by perching low in the vegetation. Black Saddlebags dragonflies, as you can see in the photo below, have distinctive dark blotches on their rear wings that some scientist decided looked like saddlebags.
Black Saddlebags are among the few North American dragonfly species that undertake migrations—other migratory species include Wandering (and Spot-winged) Gliders and Common Green Darners. Specifically, the offspring of the Black Saddlebag dragonflies migrate south in the fall, while some return north in the spring to breed. Did this one begin its journey at some location in the north and was stopping in as it heads south? It is hard to know for sure, but that is certainly a possibility.
One thing I do know for sure is that Black Saddlebags spend a lot of their time in the air, patrolling back and forth over an area, so it was nice to have a chance to capture a shot of one on the ground. Unlike some other skimmer species, Black Saddlebags do not like to perch high up in the vegetation, so it is a challenge to find an unobstructed shooting angle when they are nestled low in the vegetation close to the ground.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 