More Things with Wings

Recent excursions to meadows and wetlands have yielded additional images of dragonflies and damselflies.

Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina, 1.5")

Halloween Pennant

Halloween Pennant (male and female)

Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum, 1.3") - also named Yellow-legged Meadowhawk - (tentative ID)

Autumn Meadowhawk

White-faced Meadowhawk ( Sympetrum obtrusum, 1.3") - the most common dragonfly that I have seen this time of year.

White-faced Meadowhawk - mating pair

Eastern Least Clubtail (Stylogomphus albistylus) - I really puzzled over this ID, and it remains tentative - call it a notch above best guess ...

Eastern Least Clubtail

Northern Spreadwing ( Lestes disjuncus, 1.6") - aka Common Spreadwing - tentative ID

Northern Spreading

Canada Darner (Aeshna canadensis, 2.8") - Rarely have I spent so much time trying to get a photograph. This dragonfly was patrolling his patch of wetlands with unflagging energy, occasionally dipping to the water's surface, but never perching. Occasionally he hovered long enough to get a few reasonably focused photos ...

Canada Darner

The Spangled Skimmer has appeared in a previous post, but this is a much better pose ...

Spangled Skimmer

After straining for several hours to find and photograph dragonflies, I turned attention to chipping in a nearby shrub. A few "pishes" quickly brought a Common Yellowthroat out to investigate ...

Common Yellowthroat

Whatever you are looking for, have fun doing it!!

Things with Wings - 1

With the avian breeding season coming to a close, I have turned some of my attention to other things with wings - butterflies, dragonflies, and damselflies. The dragons and damsels are new quests for me, and the learning curve has been steep. They also require a very different kind of alertness. There is no audio with these insects, and the sight distance is relatively close by, unlike birds which are often seen at a distance. The use of my camera helps tremendously, since I can study and identify with resources at hand.

The Stokes Beginner's Guide to Dragonflies has been invaluable in these early stages of learning. With a tentative ID, I then try to confirm with Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East, Dennis Paulson (Princeton Field Guides).

Even so, I am not always certain, and many species are closely related and difficult to distinguish. If you think an ID is incorrect, please let me know.

In this post, I begin with some of the larger and more conspicuous dragonflies, all in the Skimmer family.

Common Whitetail (Libellula lydia 1.7")

Common Whitetail

Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella 2.0")

Twelve-spotted Skimmer - male

Twelve-spotted Skimmer - female

Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa 1.8")

Widow Skimmer

Chalk-fronted Corporal (Libellula julia 1.6")

Chalk-fronted Corporal - female

Chalk-fronted Corporal - male

Spangled Skimmer (Libellula eyanea 1.8")

Spangled Skimmer

Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta 2.0")

Slaty Skimmer

More soon ...