What Is It?
Anyone have a guess as to what this is?
Tagged With: Dragonfly
Eastern Amberwing
Eastern Amberwing
Albert corrected me as to the identification. I had labeled it as Perithemis domitia, the slough amberwing. He correctly identified it as Perithemis tenera, the eastern amberwing. That makes more sense, base on where I took the picture and the range of the two species. Also, the differences in markings, although not glaring, are certainly enough to be definitive. Thanks, Albert.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Anisoptera, Dragonfly, Eastern Amberwing, Insect, Insects, Perithemis, Perithemis tenera
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Dragonfly
Dragonfly
I managed to get outdoors for a little while today and into the woods and upland next to my office building. It was warm but not hot and I enjoyed the break in an otherwise busy day. I got some pictures of a lady beetle on the same stand of yellow ironweed where I took the picture of the leaf-footed bug last Thursday (see Thursday, September 7, 2017). Then when I got out into the sun I was able to get reasonably close to this dragonfly, which I haven’t had time to identify yet. It’s a pretty thing and I particularly like the eyes.
‘Dragonflies’ Quilt by Dot
‘Dragonflies’ Quilt by Dot
We had dinner at mom’s this evening. My cousin Becky and her boyfriend were there, as well, having come up for Jason’s wedding on Saturday. I took a bunch of pictures in the yard. The camellias are finishing up and the azaleas are just starting. I also took some pictures of Kai. But the picture for today is this quilt that my mom just made. It’s a pretty elaborate thing, with each segment on each wing being a separate piece of fabric. I also think the fabric she chose for the background is terrific, really showing off the dragonflies to good effect.
Riley’s Lock
Male Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis)
Cathy and I went for a walk along the C&O Canal today after church. We each brought a change of clothes because it was much too hot for even casual church clothes today. We walked west (upstream) on the tow path and enjoyed the fact that it’s pretty shady. With a temperature above 95°F in the shade, we certainly didn’t need to be out in the sun. We’re neither mad dogs nor Englishmen.
As you would expect, I brought my camera with me and we saw a little wildlife. First was this dragonfly. The female and the immature male of the eastern pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) are an emerald green. The adult male, however, transitions to a dark, powder blue, as seen here.
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
I got some nice photos of buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), a flowering shrub native to the area. It’s a member of the coffee family, Rubiaceae and it has very interesting, spherical florets.
At the turning basin just above the aqueduct we saw a great blue heron (Ardea herodias) although the way it was lit and because it was pretty far away, I wasn’t sure that’s what it was. Of course, there aren’t a lot of birds that size around here. A little further on we saw a black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax). I had stopped to take a picture of a family of ducks in the canal, which was full of duck weed. That meant I was ready when the heron flew past and I was able to get this shot.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Black-crowned Night Heron, Dragonfly, Erythemis, Erythemis simplicicollis, Heron, Nature, Night Heron, Nycticorax, Nycticorax nycticorax, Pondhawk, Wildlife
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Dragonfly
Dragonfly
Dorothy thought she had to work from 4:00 to 9:00 PM today but she got a text just after 11:00 saying she was on from 11:00 to 4:00. Fortunately, we were just driving through campus as she got that, so we were there within minutes. Cathy and I enjoyed a walk around Coy Pond and I took a bunch of pictures, including of water lilies, a great blue heron, and this dragonfly. Later we went to the garden at Long Hall and I took more pictures. That was a nice garden with an interesting collection of trees, shrubs, and perennials. Recommended. We had dinner at La Victoria, a trendy but decent taco place just off of Cabot Street in Beverly.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Anisoptera, Dragonflies, Dragonfly, Insect, Insects, Odonata
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Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens)
Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens)
In a rare turn for late August, it was very pleasant outside today. The high probably wasn’t over about 82°F and it wasn’t humid at all. In the shade it was quite comfortable. To capitalize on such a nice day, Cathy and I met and took a walk around our company campus. Almost immediately when I went outside, I spotted this dragonfly, which I believe to be a wandering glider (Pantala flavescens), one of the skimmers. That ID may be wrong, but nevertheless, it’s a beautiful thing, with its dark yellow markings and striking red eyes.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Anisoptera, Dragonfly, Insect, Insects, Libellulidae, Pantala, Pantala flavescens, Skimmers, Wandering Glider, Yellow
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Red Dragonfly
Red Dragonfly
We had a good day with Dorothy and a few of her friends today. We went to church and then to lunch. It was nice to spend some time with Jonathan (who lived with us the summer before last) and Andrew (the other half of Kindsman), as well as Taylor and Rachel.
We hung out with Dorothy at her dorm for a while and I went out into the woods next to it to take mushroom pictures. When I got back, Dorothy called me over to get some pictures of this beautiful, red dragonfly. I haven’t had a chance to identify it yet, but I’ll probably start with red skimmer and go from there.
Pachydiplax longipennis (Blue Dasher)
Pachydiplax longipennis (Blue Dasher)
I’ve been meaning to get out of the office for a short walk to the empty lot next to my building for over a week now. The upper part, where it was mostly mugwort, milkweed, and goldenrod has been mowed and it looks very different. I don’t know if this is a prelude to actual building plans coming to fruition. Plans to develop it started at least 25 years ago and the top soil was scraped up into a large mound that now has mid-size trees on it. There are a few drainage ponds and they are all abuzz with insects and birds. I saw a green heron when I first got there and then photographed a few dragonflies, including this blue dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis).
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Blue Dasher, Dragonfly, Insect, Insecta, Odonata, Pachydiplax, Pachydiplax longipennis
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Celithemis elisa (Calico Pennant)
Celithemis elisa (Calico Pennant)
We went up to Pennsylvania today just to hang out. It was probably what will turn out to be the most pleasant day of the summer. Cool, clear, breazy and absolutely lovely. We met our new neighbors, who invited us over to see their goats, which everyone enjoyed, especially Kaien and Silas. Dorothy had a few friend with her and they cut down a few trees that I had marked for clearing. And of course we cooked burgers and hot dogs on the fire. I took a few pictures, including this one of a calico pennant dragonfly (Celithemis elisa).
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Calico Pennant, Celithemis, Celithemis elisa, Dragonfly, Insecta, Odonata
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Dragonfly
Dragonfly
I’m not 100% certain of the species of this dragonfly. I think it may be a riverine clubtail (Stylurus amnicola) but I’m not sure. This was taken on the Monocacy River aqueduct just over the line in Frederick county. It was a hot afternoon and we were glad to be in the shade on the towpath. There is fruit on some of the larger pawpaw trees (Asimina triloba) but they are a little way from being ripe. We also enjoyed watching the swifts (Chaetura pelagica) that were flying out from a ledge on the face of the aqueduct to catch insects.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Clubtail, Dragonfly, Insecta, Odonata, Riverine Clubtail, Stylurus, Stylurus amnicola
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