Birdingonthe.Net Recent Postings from SE Odonata > Home > Mail > Alerts Updated on Wednesday, September 1 at 05:46 PM ET The most recently received Mail is at the top.	Trumpeter Swans,©David Sibley

1 Sep Re: Roseate Skimmer in NY? ["SL Brown" ] 1 Sep Re: Roseate Skimmer in NY? [Joshua Rose ] 1 Sep Roseate Skimmer in NY? ["SL Brown" ] 29 Aug Bluet ID [] 27 Aug Re: Odes and Leps in Fort DeSoto Park, Pinellas County, Florida [Vincent P Lucas ] 27 Aug Odes and Leps in Fort DeSoto Park, Pinellas County, Florida ["Dan Irizarry" ] 26 Aug yard Dragonhunter [] 25 Aug Re: Donnelley & Bear Island WMAs - Colleton County, SC [Chris Hill ] 25 Aug Donnelley & Bear Island WMAs - Colleton County, SC ["SL Brown" ] 20 Aug Big Bluet in SC [Chris Hill ] 20 Aug Re: Help with IDs, please? [Chris Hill ] 19 Aug Help with IDs, please? [Steve Rovell ] 18 Aug Re: Florida Skimmers! Yikes... [Chris Hill ] 18 Aug Re: Florida Skimmers! Yikes... ["Troy" ] 16 Aug Florida Skimmers! Yikes... ["Thomas" ] 15 Aug nocturnal odes [Gary Phillips ] 11 Aug Somatochlora elongata, 2nd TN county record [] 10 Aug Corrections- Treetop Emerald (Somatochlora provocans), Swamp Darner [Allen Bryan ] 10 Aug Re: New to group! [Ed Lam ] 10 Aug New to group! ["Dan Irizarry" ] 10 Aug Photograph Updates from Virginia (Fine-lined Emerald, Black-tipped Darner, meadowhawk) [Allen Bryan ] 10 Aug Re: Needham's or Golden-winged [Robert Perkins ] 9 Aug Re: Needham's or Golden-winged [Chris Hill ] 9 Aug Needham's or Golden-winged [2 Attachments] [Robert Perkins ] 7 Aug Cumberland County, NC, odonate sightings [Harry LeGrand ] 4 Aug Red-veined Pennant, Falls Dam ["Ali Iyoob" ] 30 Jul Bear Island WMA ["SL Brown" ] 29 Jul Tiger Spiketail in Caswell Co., NC [Harry LeGrand ] 25 Jul Flying things on the Little Pee Dee River, Horry and Marion Counties, SC [Chris Hill ] 25 Jul Flying things on the Little Pee Dee River, Horry and Marion Counties, SC [Chris Hill ] 24 Jul Red-veined Pennant (GA) [] 24 Jul mixed feeding swarms Perry, Sumner Cos. TN [] 23 Jul More Gliders have arrived [Bruce Grimes ] 22 Jul Re: the Wandering Gliders have arrived [kjchilds ] 22 Jul West Coast visitor looking for productive sites to find odes ["clvag400" ] 22 Jul Re: the Wandering Gliders have arrived [Hal White ] 22 Jul Re: the Wandering Gliders have arrived [kjchilds ] 21 Jul Spreadwing ID [1 Attachment] ["birdranger" ] 21 Jul Lewis Ocean Bay HP, Conway, SC [Chris Hill ] 20 Jul DSA [Chris Hill ] 19 Jul 21 inch net [Chris Hill ] 18 Jul Re: [tn-dragonflies] the Wandering Gliders have arrived [] 17 Jul Re: the Wandering Gliders have arrived [kjchilds ] 16 Jul Re: the Wandering Gliders have arrived [Dennis Paulson ] 16 Jul the Wandering Gliders have arrived [kjchilds ] 16 Jul it's a wonder... ["SL Brown" ] 13 Jul Rainbow Bluet (Enallagma antennatum) in SE ["gljeinwv AT juno.com" ] 12 Jul Rainbow Bluet (Enallagma antennatum) in SE [1 Attachment] [] 10 Jul Comet Darner, Sanddragon (GA) [] 8 Jul Wambah Creek et al. [4 Attachments] [Chris Hill ] 03 Jul Re: Two-Striped Forceptail (Aphylla williamsoni) in Tennessee [Marion Dobbs ] 4 Jul new ode for the yard ["gljeinwv AT juno.com" ] 3 Jul Falls Dam odes ["Ali Iyoob" ] 3 Jul Re: Georgia odes [Chris Hill ] 03 Jul Georgia odes [Lois Stacey ] 3 Jul Two-Striped Forceptail (Aphylla williamsoni) in Tennessee [] 2 Jul Upper Falls Lake, Durham County, NC ["birdranger" ] 30 Jun dusk darner swarm ["SL Brown" ] 30 Jun architecture of wings ["Beverly Pearce" ] 27 Jun Re: Not se exactly [] 27 Jun some West Virginia odes ["gljeinwv AT juno.com" ] 26 Jun Re: Monongahela National Forest odes [] 26 Jun Not se exactly [1 Attachment] [] 25 Jun Monogalela National Forest odes [] 25 Jun Odes seen at PeeDee NWR, Anson County, NC ["Jules Fraytet" ] 24 Jun Re: Location, Location, Location . . . ["SL Brown" ] 24 Jun Comet Darner - GA mountains, also AL & FL reports [] 23 Jun Re: Location, Location, Location . . . [June Tveekrem ] 23 Jun Location, Location, Location . . . [Vincent P Lucas ] 24 Jun Prairie Ridge, Wake County, June 24 ["kkturtledude" ] 24 Jun Shadowdragon hunting at Falls Dam ["kkturtledude" ] 20 Jun large dragon aggregation report from Butner Gamelands [Joshua Stuart Rose ] 18 Jun Great day at Falls Lake, Smoky Shadowdragons. [Matthew Daw ] 15 Jun 2 Shadowdragon sp., Raleigh, NC [Matthew Daw ] 15 Jun Re: Shadowdragons, etc. Falls dam, NC [Harry LeGrand ] 15 Jun Re: Shadowdragons, etc. Falls dam, NC [Harry LeGrand ] Subject: Re: Roseate Skimmer in NY? From: "SL Brown" <ictinia AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 18:45:53 -0400 False alarm - my friend sent the photo to Giff & he said it's one of the meadowhawks (which solves all the problems I had with its shape & color). Sharon L. Brown http://SLBrownPhoto.com --------------------------------------------------------------- "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more." John Burroughs Subject: Re: Roseate Skimmer in NY? From: Joshua Rose <opihi AT mindspring.com> Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 11:18:33 -0400 Hey Sharon - Can you forward the photo my way? I'd love to see it! I'm subscribed to NE-Odes, lots of people from NY and NJ on there, can relay the news... And yes, DEFINITELY noteworthy to say the least! I don't think there has ever been a documented record north of Virginia. JSR On Sep 1, 2010, at 11:12 AM, SL Brown wrote: > > > A friend of mine sent me a photo of a male skimmer shot yesterday in > the southwest corner of New York state - and it looks like a Roseate > Skimmer. Is that noteworthy? Is anyone interested in my forwarding > the photo for confirmation (or any idea what else it could be)? > > It is all dark pink to red - no lavendar pruinosity - unlike any > Roseate I've seen, but I can't think of what else it could be. > > Sharon L. Brown > http://SLBrownPhoto.com > > --------------------------------------------------------------- > > "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, > and to have my senses put in tune once more." > > John Burroughs > > > Subject: Roseate Skimmer in NY? From: "SL Brown" <ictinia AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 11:12:01 -0400 A friend of mine sent me a photo of a male skimmer shot yesterday in the southwest corner of New York state - and it looks like a Roseate Skimmer. Is that noteworthy? Is anyone interested in my forwarding the photo for confirmation (or any idea what else it could be)? It is all dark pink to red - no lavendar pruinosity - unlike any Roseate I've seen, but I can't think of what else it could be. Sharon L. Brown http://SLBrownPhoto.com --------------------------------------------------------------- "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more." John Burroughs Subject: Bluet ID From: VLDELOACH AT aol.com Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:09:09 EDT I've never seen an eyebar like this with no eye spots. Eyes look most like Seepage Dancer but abdomen does not. Abdominal pattern is closest to Double-striped or Big Bluet. But its size wasn't much more than an inch. Found in the marsh end of a local lake yesterday and was the only damsel found: Vicki DeLoach Woodstock, GA _http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickisnature/_ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickisnature/) Subject: Re: Odes and Leps in Fort DeSoto Park, Pinellas County, Florida From: Vincent P Lucas <vplucas AT comcast.net> Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:19:20 -0400 I believe the Buckeye is a Mangrove Buckeye (Junonia evarete). Vincent Lucas Naples, FL vplucas AT comcast.net On Aug 27, 2010, at 9:31 PM, Dan Irizarry wrote: > > Hey Everyone, > > > > I spent sometime today BOBing in Pinellas County Florida. > > > > Today, I had: > > > > Seaside Dragonlet > > Common Green Darner > > Wandering Glider (vigorously defending his “turf” from the Common > Green Darner that kept zipping by!) > > Blue Dasher > > > > Leps: > > Phaon Crescent > > Common Buckeye > > White Peacock > > Gulf Fritillary > > > > Photos from today: > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/danirizarry/sets/72157624820941180/with/4932619211/ > > > > > > I think my IDs are correct on the dragonflies, but any corrections > would be welcome! > > > > Dan Irizarry > > Bradenton, FL > > > > > > > Subject: Odes and Leps in Fort DeSoto Park, Pinellas County, Florida From: "Dan Irizarry" <rdirizarry AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:31:50 -0400 Hey Everyone, I spent sometime today BOBing in Pinellas County Florida. Today, I had: Seaside Dragonlet Common Green Darner Wandering Glider (vigorously defending his "turf" from the Common Green Darner that kept zipping by!) Blue Dasher Leps: Phaon Crescent Common Buckeye White Peacock Gulf Fritillary Photos from today: http://www.flickr.com/photos/danirizarry/sets/72157624820941180/with/4932619 211/ I think my IDs are correct on the dragonflies, but any corrections would be welcome! Dan Irizarry Bradenton, FL Subject: yard Dragonhunter From: VLDELOACH AT aol.com Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:39:32 EDT After being skunked on Dragonhunters all summer, I had a female show up in my yard yesterday, perching several times on impossibly weak wildflowers as they do. It and the Common Sanddragon are easily the biggest surprises in our Georgia yard this season. Thanks to Giff and Eric in TX for taking a look at my shots last night. Vicki DeLoach Woodstock, GA shots below: _http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickisnature/_ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickisnature/) Subject: Re: Donnelley & Bear Island WMAs - Colleton County, SC From: Chris Hill <chill AT coastal.edu> Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:52:45 -0400 Sharon's account inspired me to get out the door during lunch to the pond by my building. In particular, she saw a Roseate Skimmer, Orthemis ferruginea, and for some reason I haven't seen one yet this summer. Maybe I've been lucky spending my odeing time at nice rivers this year instead of retention ponds, but Roseates show up in my garden and yard so there's something going on there beyond my movements- some summer the Roseates are around from June on, but many other summers the Roseate skimmers appear late and are commonest Sept- Oct. This summer seems to be one of the latter. Anyway, I found many of same things Sharon found, including one Roseate Skimmer, and also, remarkably, including no Blue Dashers (very hard to avoid seeing one at this pond), but also noteworthy was the first Somatochlora (Emerald) I've ever seen perched. It hung up waist high, so I hightailed it to my car for a net, returned and pretty easily netted it. As expected, it is S. filosa, a Fine-lined Emerald. That's the common one in my neighborhood, the only one I've ever confirmed here. My wife, who has seen me obsessively and fruitlessly visiting the same patch of dirt road a half hour away since July, just to get cricks in my neck waiting for the Somatochloras there to descend to where I can try to net one, will no doubt see the irony in my catching one in a bush outside my office door. But those other ones are different!! Thermometer says it's 86, but the sun beating down on my scalp for 20 minutes made it feel about 95. CH Familiar Bluet - 3 Unid. female bluet, had occipital bar so maybe not Familiar - 1 Fragile Forktail - 1 Rambur's Forktail - 8 Four-spotted Pennant - 1 Calico Pennant - 1 Common Pondhawk - 13 Slaty Skimmer - 1 Slaty/GB skimmer (female, couldn't be sure) - 1 Needham's Skimmer - 4 Eastern Amberwing - 13 Blue Dasher - 0 Common Whitetail - 1 Black Saddlebags - 1 Fine-lined Emerald - 1 On Aug 25, 2010, at 10:35 AM, SL Brown wrote: > > Had a much-needed & perfectly lovely day afield yesterday which > yielded good numbers of odes . . . though not the usual species. > We've had a couple of weeks with daily torrential rains. I'm > thinking it must have shifted things a bit, ode-wise. > > Note - my lack of damsels doesn't mean there aren't any. I've come > to the conclusion that I simply do not _see_ damselflies. At one > point, an extremely tiny dark one was perched on the door of my > white truck (okay, I could see that one) . . . but I couldn't tell > you what it was - my glasses were inside the truck. :} > > Most numerous species were Common Green Darner & Black Saddlebags - > the latter being a species that I don't often see many of on any > given day, so it was interesting & unusual to see so many over the > whole area. Even more unusual was the fact that I didn't see a Blue > Dasher all day! > > Common Green Darner (Anax junius) > Swamp Darner (Epiaeschna heros) > Seaside Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax berenice) > Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens) > Four-spotted Pennant (Brachymesia gravida) > Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina) > Marl Pennant (Macrodiplax balteata) > Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) > Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata) > Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina) > Bar-winged Skimmer (Libellula axilena) > Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans) > Needham's Skimmer (Libellula needhami) > Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea) > > We also saw some migratory warblers at Donnelley and photographed > some nice butterflies & bees on the South American Vervain & > Bitterweed roadside meadows at Bear Island. > > Sharon L. Brown > http://SLBrownPhoto.com > > --------------------------------------------------------------- > > "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, > and to have my senses put in tune once more." > > John Burroughs > > ************************************************************************ Christopher E. Hill Biology Department Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC 29528-1954 chill AT coastal.edu http://ww2.coastal.edu/chill/chill.htm "A faculty for idleness implies a catholic appetite and a strong sense of personal identity." - Robert Louis Stevenson ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/se-odonata/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/se-odonata/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: se-odonata-digest AT yahoogroups.com se-odonata-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: se-odonata-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Donnelley & Bear Island WMAs - Colleton County, SC From: "SL Brown" <ictinia AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:35:55 -0400 Had a much-needed & perfectly lovely day afield yesterday which yielded good numbers of odes . . . though not the usual species. We've had a couple of weeks with daily torrential rains. I'm thinking it must have shifted things a bit, ode-wise. Note - my lack of damsels doesn't mean there aren't any. I've come to the conclusion that I simply do not _see_ damselflies. At one point, an extremely tiny dark one was perched on the door of my white truck (okay, I could see that one) . . . but I couldn't tell you what it was - my glasses were inside the truck. :} Most numerous species were Common Green Darner & Black Saddlebags - the latter being a species that I don't often see many of on any given day, so it was interesting & unusual to see so many over the whole area. Even more unusual was the fact that I didn't see a Blue Dasher all day! Common Green Darner (Anax junius) Swamp Darner (Epiaeschna heros) Seaside Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax berenice) Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens) Four-spotted Pennant (Brachymesia gravida) Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina) Marl Pennant (Macrodiplax balteata) Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata) Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina) Bar-winged Skimmer (Libellula axilena) Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans) Needham's Skimmer (Libellula needhami) Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea) We also saw some migratory warblers at Donnelley and photographed some nice butterflies & bees on the South American Vervain & Bitterweed roadside meadows at Bear Island. Sharon L. Brown http://SLBrownPhoto.com --------------------------------------------------------------- "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more." John Burroughs Subject: Big Bluet in SC From: Chris Hill <chill AT coastal.edu> Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:02:49 -0400 No sooner had I sent my last email than I got a reply from a researcher who collected Big Bluets, Enallagma durum, in South Carolina last summer, which is great! That was the last species that was really consipicuous by its absence on the SC list. (Other expected species finally documented here in the last few years include Banner Clubtail by Wade Worthen and Hyacinth Glider by Sharon Brown). Anything we add to the list going forward is going to be at least somewhat unexpected, which will be fun. Chris ************************************************************************ Christopher E. Hill Biology Department Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC 29528-1954 chill AT coastal.edu http://ww2.coastal.edu/chill/chill.htm Everybody's ignorant, just on different subjects. - Will Rogers Subject: Re: Help with IDs, please? From: Chris Hill <chill AT coastal.edu> Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:39:38 -0400 Hi Steve, Here are my best guesses: 9492.jpg - one of the Blue-type Bluets, but I can't tell if it's Familiar, Atlantic, or something else like Big Bluet. Odds favor Familiar. 9601.jpg - Great Blue Skimmer (old female) #1 & #2 probably both blue-tipped dancers? #3 Blue-ringed Dancer 9718.jpg I think this is likely a Florida Bluet (rather than the similar Orange Bluet), due to the wide black stripe and narrower orange stripe on the thorax. #9 Scarlet Skimmer #10 Four-spotted Skimmer #12 Seaside Dragonlet I'm not an ID expert, but if I've made some howlers there, someone will probably step in and graciously make the necessary corrections. Any other pictures of that bluet from Hilton Head? SC is still waiting for its first documented Big Bluet (they should be here...). Chris On Aug 19, 2010, at 9:40 PM, Steve Rovell wrote: > Hi - > > I joined this list a months or so ago to learn about good spots to > search for odes. I got a few responses. Thanks to those of you who > helped. > > Now that I am back at home I have photos to share. However, I wasn't > able to identify everything. If anyone on this list has a bit of > time, please take a look. I'd appreciate any help I can get. > > Here's the address to the site: > > http://web.me.com/tapaculo/Steves_Odeing_Photo_Blog/My_Odeing_Blog_Albums/Pages/Southeast_Odes.html > > Steve Rovell > Marina, CA - "fog capital of the central coast and home of very few > odes" > > ************************************************************************ Christopher E. Hill Biology Department Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC 29528-1954 chill AT coastal.edu http://ww2.coastal.edu/chill/chill.htm EDUCATION: n. That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding. - Ambrose Bierce: The Devil's Dictionary ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/se-odonata/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/se-odonata/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: se-odonata-digest AT yahoogroups.com se-odonata-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: se-odonata-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Help with IDs, please? From: Steve Rovell <tapaculo AT mac.com> Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:40:21 -0700 Hi - I joined this list a months or so ago to learn about good spots to search for odes. I got a few responses. Thanks to those of you who helped. Now that I am back at home I have photos to share. However, I wasn't able to identify everything. If anyone on this list has a bit of time, please take a look. I'd appreciate any help I can get. Here's the address to the site: http://web.me.com/tapaculo/Steves_Odeing_Photo_Blog/My_Odeing_Blog_Albums/Pages/Southeast_Odes.html Steve Rovell Marina, CA - "fog capital of the central coast and home of very few odes" Subject: Re: Florida Skimmers! Yikes... From: Chris Hill <chill AT coastal.edu> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:53:13 -0400 I'd say Needham's for each of them. Though you can't see the side of the thorax, your photos show exceptionally well that the costa (the leading vein of the wing) on each of them is bicolored, darker/duller from the body to the nodus, and bright yellow/reddish from there to the stigma. That says Needhams. I usually don't use that field mark since it's so hard to see in field conditions (like leg color), but it's clear in your photos, and it's reliable if you can see it. Also, as Giff Beaton pointed out recently, if the golden coloration of the wings if limited to the very front of the wing, as in your pictures, that's a point in favor of Needham's. Chris On Aug 16, 2010, at 6:58 PM, Thomas wrote: > I was following the recent discussion on the Needhams vs Golden- > winged Skimmer and found it interesting since I just got back from > Florida where I may have seen both or just one species... > > I was utilizing the keys on: > http://public.fotki.com/gstrick3/misc-images-intende/ > and I don't feel comfortable making an educated guess yet...but am > eager to learn what these are. > > http://www.thomasbentley.com/ids/df6.jpg > > http://www.thomasbentley.com/ids/df7.jpg > > Thanks > Tom > ************************************************************************ Christopher E. Hill Biology Department Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC 29528-1954 chill AT coastal.edu http://ww2.coastal.edu/chill/chill.htm "Anyone who has a library and a garden wants nothing. - Cicero Subject: Re: Florida Skimmers! Yikes... From: "Troy" <alterna2627 AT swtexas.net> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:41:05 -0000 Do you have angles that show the sides of the thoraxes? That is the easiest way to distinguish the two. Troy --- In se-odonata AT yahoogroups.com, "Thomas" wrote: > > I was following the recent discussion on the Needhams vs Golden-winged Skimmer and found it interesting since I just got back from Florida where I may have seen both or just one species... > > I was utilizing the keys on: > http://public.fotki.com/gstrick3/misc-images-intende/ > and I don't feel comfortable making an educated guess yet...but am eager to learn what these are. > > http://www.thomasbentley.com/ids/df6.jpg > > http://www.thomasbentley.com/ids/df7.jpg > > > Thanks > Tom > Subject: Florida Skimmers! Yikes... From: "Thomas" <tbentley13 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:58:51 -0000 I was following the recent discussion on the Needhams vs Golden-winged Skimmer and found it interesting since I just got back from Florida where I may have seen both or just one species... I was utilizing the keys on: http://public.fotki.com/gstrick3/misc-images-intende/ and I don't feel comfortable making an educated guess yet...but am eager to learn what these are. http://www.thomasbentley.com/ids/df6.jpg http://www.thomasbentley.com/ids/df7.jpg Thanks Tom Subject: nocturnal odes From: Gary Phillips <carolinensis AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:43:59 -0700 (PDT) hi y'all, i continue to see an occasional ode at the light (a 25w CFL) on the deck while mothing at night here. the sex/species thus far this year include m and f E. Pondhawk, GB Skimmer, Slaty Skimmer and Blue Dasher. for the most part, the bugs just cling to the sheet, occasionally fluttering around the bulb briefly. last night a fem-type Blue Dasher stayed 'til after sun-up. a cpl nights ago, i observed a Great Blue Skimmer male actively foraging about 9:45 p.m. beneath the fluorescent lights of a local conv. store. i observed it take a smallish spider from a web, consume it while perched on a propane tank rack, then snag a small moth. Gary Phillips Conway, SC Subject: Somatochlora elongata, 2nd TN county record From: Rconnorsphoto AT aol.com Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:48:02 EDT Aug. 5 2010, Rocky Fork Unit Cherokee WMA, Unicoi County TN A second Tennessee county record was added recently for Ski-tipped Emerald, Somatochlora elongata. I found it at Rocky Fork, a new area of public land recently added to Cherokee Nat. Forest. Final division and management of this large area has yet to be worked out. It continues to be managed as a WMA (wildlife management area), but TN State Parks/ Natural Areas will eventually be part of the mix. Last Thursday TN Natural Areas biologist Lisa Huff and I walked in to check on a pond I had scouted last fall. I had determined this shady little pond was a likely spot to find S. elongata in the right season. We found 2 males patrolling, and one female was seen ovipositing around the edge of the pond. 3 identical Somatochlora exuvia were found on one twig in the pond... S. elongata? I will have to key them out to be sure, but likely elongata. I had no luck checking other potential Somatochlora sites in Johnson or Greene Co.s, and I did not see any flying at the original S. elongata site in Carter Co. They may have already come and gone at that site. Flight season seems to be mainly July and August, possibly starting in late June and possibly going into Sept. TN folks in or near the eastern mountain counties should be on the lookout for them at ... shaded ponds connected to forest, beaver ponds etc. The shade element and the direct connection to major forest seem to be necessary for this mostly-northern species to thrive or even survive way down south. It may be possible to connect a few more dots of occurrence with the one N GA record, and the few W NC records. One reason this northern species is of interest is to see if indeed it can hang on, adapt or whatever, with our apparently warming climate (this summer is adding evidence to that theory). We've seen southern species moving up in recent years, it will be interesting to see if some more northern ones get pushed back north. Anyway, the other reason S. elongata is of interest is that it is just a very neat bug to have around! see S. elongata photos here: _http://www.pbase.com/rconnorsnaturephoto/image/127241358_ (http://www.pbase.com/rconnorsnaturephoto/image/127241358) Some other odes of interest seen last week in Johnson, Carter, Greene, and Unicoi Cos: Slender Spreadwing, Lestes rectangularis J C U Sweetflag Spreadwing, Lestes forcipatus Johnson only Shadow Darner, Aeshna umbrosa J C Fawn Darner, Boyera vinosa G E. Least Clubtail, Stylogomphus albistylus U G Tiger Spiketail, Corduligaster erronea U Rocky Fork Ruby Meadowhawk, Sympetrum rubicundulum J C U ... Richard Connors Nashville, TN Subject: Corrections- Treetop Emerald (Somatochlora provocans), Swamp Darner From: Allen Bryan <nshrike1 AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:00:08 -0700 (PDT) Corrections. Ed Lam has corrected my misID of two of the photographs. The Fine-lined Emerald is actually a Treetop Emerald (a lifer) and the darner is a Swamp Darner. Thanks Ed! Allen Subject: Re: New to group! From: Ed Lam <azurebluet AT aol.com> Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:46:49 -0400 Hi Dan, Welcome to the group and nice pictures. These all appear to be Marl Pennants (Macrodiplax balteata). Your pictures show a range of male pattern variation that is age related. Immature males resemble females but become all dark upon maturity. 1. immature male 2. female 3. older male still retaining pale lateral thoracic stripes 4. female 5. mature male Best wishes, Ed Lam PS Cool picture of the Marl Pennant caught by a jumping spider! -----Original Message----- From: Dan Irizarry To: se-odonata AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Tue, Aug 10, 2010 8:38 pm Subject: [se-odonata] New to group! Hey everyone, I’m new to the group and new to odonata. I’vebeen a birder for a while, but I’ve recently started photographing lepidsand odes. I have some ID questions for you experts. All these shots weretaken in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. Here are links to the flickr pictures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/danirizarry/4856747327/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/danirizarry/4856746771/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/danirizarry/4857368272/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/danirizarry/4857363542/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/danirizarry/4857364064/ Feel free to peruse my flickr page for any corrections J Thanks! Dan Irizarry Bradenton, FL Subject: New to group! From: "Dan Irizarry" <rdirizarry AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:38:44 -0400 Hey everyone, I'm new to the group and new to odonata. I've been a birder for a while, but I've recently started photographing lepids and odes. I have some ID questions for you experts. All these shots were taken in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. Here are links to the flickr pictures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/danirizarry/4856747327/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/danirizarry/4856746771/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/danirizarry/4857368272/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/danirizarry/4857363542/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/danirizarry/4857364064/ Feel free to peruse my flickr page for any corrections J Thanks! Dan Irizarry Bradenton, FL Subject: Photograph Updates from Virginia (Fine-lined Emerald, Black-tipped Darner, meadowhawk) From: Allen Bryan <nshrike1 AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:59:43 -0700 (PDT) During the last several days I have had the opportunity to visit Highland and Sussex Counties in Virginia. Some of the photographs are as follows: Fine-lined Emerald (Somatochlora filosa): http://www.visitingnature.com/finelinedemerald.htm Black-tipped Darner (Aeshna tuberculifera): http://www.visitingnature.com/blacktippeddarner.htm *IDed from Dave Czaplak's web page of male darner appendages. (http://www.odolep.com/d_aeshnidae/aeshna_append.jpg) Band-winged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum): http://www.visitingnature.com/bandwingedmeadowhawk.htm Enjoy each day, Allen Bryan Richmond, Va. www.visitingnature.com Subject: Re: Needham's or Golden-winged From: Robert Perkins <perkybear AT embarqmail.com> Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 04:44:33 -0400 Thanks to Marion Dobbs and Chris Hill for identifying the second dragonfly as a wandering glider, a possibility that I had never considered. Until I took the photo, I had never seen one up close. Fun! I'll keep working on Needham's vs golden-winged. Maybe another year I'll get the side view that is needed. Bob ------------------------ Bob Perkins Woodlawn, Virginia Historian and General Outdoorsman Subject: Re: Needham's or Golden-winged From: Chris Hill <chill AT coastal.edu> Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 22:55:04 -0400 Bob, A side view is best for separating Needham's and Golden-winged, so I won't hazard a guess at photo 1. One could say the legs are brown, not black (favoring Needham's) but I can't really tell without a side view of the thorax. One or the other. Photo 2 appears to me to be a Wandering Glider, Pantala flavescens (very broad hindwings, different body shape, hangs vertically under a stem when perching). About 2005 when I started paying attention to odes I looked at Needham's after Needham's on the local pond, trying hard to find a Golden-winged. They were all either conclusively Needham's or inconclusive. I finally caught one that was conclusively different, and congratulated myself on finally solving that problem. I figured out a few months later that my "Golden-winged" was a Wandering Glider. So I've been down that road. Look at females and immature males from the side. Those are the easiest. The best tutorial in the world for distinguishing these two species is the one put together by Gayle and Jeanelle Strickland, the first four plates here: http://public.fotki.com/gstrick3/misc-images-intende/ And if you start at their page here: http://public.fotki.com/gstrick3/ and click through to the plates of dragonfly scans...well, just do it. Chris On Aug 9, 2010, at 9:59 PM, Robert Perkins wrote: > [Attachment(s) from Robert Perkins included below] > Here are photos of two different specimens taken on August 7 at > Washington Oaks State Gardens on the Atlantic Coast south of St. > Augustine's, Florida. In the past I considered the red/orange > dragonflies that I see there to be Needham's, but this is the first > time I've had photos to use in asking for help. Please advise. > > Bob > > ************************************************************************ Christopher E. Hill Biology Department Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC 29528-1954 chill AT coastal.edu http://ww2.coastal.edu/chill/chill.htm "You can see a lot just by observing." - Yogi Berra ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/se-odonata/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/se-odonata/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: se-odonata-digest AT yahoogroups.com se-odonata-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: se-odonata-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Needham's or Golden-winged [2 Attachments] From: Robert Perkins <perkybear AT embarqmail.com> Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 21:59:29 -0400 Here are photos of two different specimens taken on August 7 at Washington Oaks State Gardens on the Atlantic Coast south of St. Augustine's, Florida. In the past I considered the red/orange dragonflies that I see there to be Needham's, but this is the first time I've had photos to use in asking for help. Please advise. Bob ------------------------ Bob Perkins Woodlawn, Virginia Historian and General Outdoorsman Subject: Cumberland County, NC, odonate sightings From: Harry LeGrand <harrylegrand AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2010 07:42:37 -0700 (PDT) Today (Aug. 6), Ed Corey and several others went with me to a tract lying between Carvers Creek State Park and Fort Bragg, just north of Fayetteville, NC; the tract is currently owned by The Nature Conservancy, who is going to transfer it to State Parks later in the year to add to Carvers Creek SP. Most of the tract (fire suppressed longleaf pine sandhills, with small creeks/streams and pocosin streamheads) is rather poor habitat, but we saw a few things. Here is what we saw, mostly at a small man-made pond: Ebony Jewelwing  10 Common Green Darner 1 Comet Darner  2     at small pond Southeastern Spinyleg  1   nice find; spectacular bug, at tiny stream, perched river cruiser sp.  1 Golden-winged Skimmer  3 Bar-winged Skimmer  2 Slaty Skimmer  4 Banded Pennant 1 Ornate [= Faded] Pennant  1-2 Amanda's Pennant  10 Eastern Pondhawk  10 Little Blue Dragonlet  2    yet nary a Blue Dasher! Carolina Saddlebags   5 The spinyleg (Dromogomphus armatus) is on the NC Natural Heritage Program's Watch List. It really isn't overly rare in the Sandhills region, where the park is located, but it seems to occur in low numbers and isn't reported often. This was about my fourth sighting in NC, over the years -- all in the Sandhills, which is at the NE extent of the species' range.   Harry LeGrand Raleigh, NC Subject: Red-veined Pennant, Falls Dam From: "Ali Iyoob" <aliiyoob AT nc.rr.com> Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2010 17:17:32 -0400 Hi all, Matt Daw and I went out oding today, with the highlight being 6-7 Red-veined Pennants flying over the lake. This is the first time the species has been recorded in the county. We both took lots of pictures of them. Black-shouldered Spineyleg Widow Skimmer Common Whitetail Great Blue Skimmer Slaty Skimmer Eastern Amberwing Eastern Pondhawk Blue Dasher Wandering Glider Spot-winged Glider Black Saddlebags Carolina Saddlebags Halloween Pennant RED-VEINED PENNANT-6 Ali Iyoob Raleigh, NC Subject: Bear Island WMA From: "SL Brown" <ictinia AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:23:29 -0400 Colleton County, SC (finally, a good day out away from the computer for a while!) HOT HOT HOT and humid, but lots of odes. Most numerous (maybe 30-40 of each): Seaside Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax berenice) Four-spotted Pennant (Brachymesia gravida) Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina) Marl Pennant (Macrodiplax balteata) Next most numerous (10-20 of each): Common Green Darner (Anax junius) Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina) Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) Only a couple each: Needham's Skimmer (Libellula needhami) Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea) I've never seen so many Marl & Halloween Pennants - but all individuals of both species looked small, as did the many Seaside Dragonlets (I mean compared to what I've seen of those species in years past). Sharon L. Brown http://SLBrownPhoto.com --------------------------------------------------------------- "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more." John Burroughs Subject: Tiger Spiketail in Caswell Co., NC From: Harry LeGrand <harrylegrand AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:19:45 -0700 (PDT) Tiger Spiketail (Cordulegaster erronea) is a rather rare dragonfly in NC. But, I saw my first today while walking along an abandoned RR track through rich hardwoods close to the Dan River, Caswell Co., NC. Though I'm no expert on a lot of dragonflies, this was a stunner. It flew slowly about 2-3' off the ground (like a spiketail and not a river cruiser -- fast flight at 6' or higher), and thankfully perched on a vertical twig, in an oblique manner, about a foot off the ground. I had seen the bright yellow segment rings in flight, but got to study the abdomen while it perched. All the other 3 spiketails in NC fly in spring or early summer, this being the only one that flies this late in the season. And, this is a first report for the county. Sorry, no photos taken. I also saw a nice Gomphus -- about 1.8-2.0" long (i.e., on the small end), with a wide club, that perched about a foot off the ground near a small stream. Looking at Beaton and Dunkle, I think it had to be either a Cobra Clubtail (G. vastus) or the rare Skillet Clubtail (G. ventricosus). There is a Cuyler record for Skillet in Caswell County, but none for Cobra.  Both typically fly earlier in the season, though I think they could be on the wing now. I didn't get photos, so presumable this one got away. I have seen Cobra before, but that was a while back. The third dragonfly of interest was a Fawn Darner that I flushed briefly in shady woods very close to the river. Thankfully, it perched again, so that I could see its roundish yellow thorax spots. Though "fairly common", and not new to any county in the region, it's always nice to bump into one, as I don't go out of my way to "odonate". This was a botanical trip! Harry LeGrand Raleigh, NC Subject: Flying things on the Little Pee Dee River, Horry and Marion Counties, SC From: Chris Hill <chill AT coastal.edu> Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2010 10:58:21 -0400 Hi all, Pardon the hybrid post. Those uninterested in birds can skip the second paragraph, those uninterested in odonates can skip the rest. The way the weather has been (96 and humid), the only reasonable way to be outside lately has to be in the water, and preferably in the shade, too. So I and the family headed to the Little Pee Dee River yesterday with canoe and kayak, detouring south to Hughes Landing when the leaving-the-beach traffic on Rt. 501 made our initial plan (upstream from Galivants Ferry) look bad. Plan B turned out to be a good choice - even though the sandbar I'd spotted on google earth was underwater, we found a beautiful quiet picnic spot, with shade, good swimming, and a good place for the boys to mess around, flip and sink the canoe, and so forth. Only one powerboat passed in the first hour and a half, so you can't beat that. And as soon as we got to the river, looking up, we saw a half dozen kites, both Swallow-tailed and Missisiippi, and we had lots of fun kite watching most of the three hours we were there (along with other soaring birds like Anhingas, Black Vultures, Red-shouldered Hawks). it was thick with kites, and I got to hear them (a first) and see a Mississippi fold its wings 150' up and dive vertically to within 40; of the river surface (had it spotted a tasty dragonfly or was it just messing around?). Hughes Landing Road is the one place in the county that I've found what appears to be a variety of Emeralds (Somatochloras). I say appears because there are several differerent sized ones flying, but in several efforts over two years, I have failed to capture even one. I'm still scheming. Even though it was 11AM and hot hot hot when we drove the dirt road, we did see one emerald, enticingly low, but he didn't stick around. On the river, we saw a good variety, including one surprise damselfly that would have been a county record if I could have documented it, and also good numbers of interesting (if not unusual) river species. It was more of a swimming trip so I didn't kick the riverside vegetation for spreadwings and forktails, just kept our eyes open while paddling and swimming. on the river: Smoky Rubyspot, Heteraina titia (spotted it from the canoe and it disappeared by the time I got turned around - first one I've seen hereabouts, would be new for county) Blue-fronted Dancer Argia apicalis Blue tipped Dancer Argia tibialis Swamp Darner, Epiaeschna heros Cyrano Darner, Nasiaeschna pentacantha Black-shouldered Spinylegs, Dromogomphus spinosus. Landed on each of our boats, which was nice. Dragonhunter, Hagenius brevistylus Russet-tipped Clubtail, Stylurus plagiatus Eastern Pondhawk, Erythemis simplicicollis Slaty Skimmer, Libellula incesta Great Blue Skimmer, Libellula vibrans Blue Dasher, Pachydiplax longipennis Prince Baskettail, Epitheca princeps Royal River Cruiser, Macrimia taeniolata Georgia River Cruiser, Macromia illinoisensis georgina And one or two largish dragonflies of which I couldn't identify on the wing, which is always enticing.. and on the road: Swamp Darners Emerald sp. Somatochlora sp. Carolina Saddlebags, Tramea carolina This was probably the first river trip since April when I didn't find a single exuvia. The Stylurus plagiatus exuviae were thick a month or more ago, but it's down to less than a trickle, which is odd, because I know they've got a couple months left in their flight season. CH ************************************************************************ Christopher E. Hill Biology Department Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC 29528-1954 chill AT coastal.edu http://ww2.coastal.edu/chill/chill.htm “It is always advisable to perceive clearly our ignorance” - Charles Darwin ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/se-odonata/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/se-odonata/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: se-odonata-digest AT yahoogroups.com se-odonata-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: se-odonata-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Flying things on the Little Pee Dee River, Horry and Marion Counties, SC From: Chris Hill <Chill AT coastal.edu> Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2010 10:58:21 -0400 Hi all, Pardon the hybrid post. Those uninterested in birds can skip the second paragraph, those uninterested in odonates can skip the rest. The way the weather has been (96 and humid), the only reasonable way to be outside lately has to be in the water, and preferably in the shade, too. So I and the family headed to the Little Pee Dee River yesterday with canoe and kayak, detouring south to Hughes Landing when the leaving-the-beach traffic on Rt. 501 made our initial plan (upstream from Galivants Ferry) look bad. Plan B turned out to be a good choice - even though the sandbar I'd spotted on google earth was underwater, we found a beautiful quiet picnic spot, with shade, good swimming, and a good place for the boys to mess around, flip and sink the canoe, and so forth. Only one powerboat passed in the first hour and a half, so you can't beat that. And as soon as we got to the river, looking up, we saw a half dozen kites, both Swallow-tailed and Missisiippi, and we had lots of fun kite watching most of the three hours we were there (along with other soaring birds like Anhingas, Black Vultures, Red-shouldered Hawks). it was thick with kites, and I got to hear them (a first) and see a Mississippi fold its wings 150' up and dive vertically to within 40; of the river surface (had it spotted a tasty dragonfly or was it just messing around?). Hughes Landing Road is the one place in the county that I've found what appears to be a variety of Emeralds (Somatochloras). I say appears because there are several differerent sized ones flying, but in several efforts over two years, I have failed to capture even one. I'm still scheming. Even though it was 11AM and hot hot hot when we drove the dirt road, we did see one emerald, enticingly low, but he didn't stick around. On the river, we saw a good variety, including one surprise damselfly that would have been a county record if I could have documented it, and also good numbers of interesting (if not unusual) river species. It was more of a swimming trip so I didn't kick the riverside vegetation for spreadwings and forktails, just kept our eyes open while paddling and swimming. on the river: Smoky Rubyspot, Heteraina titia (spotted it from the canoe and it disappeared by the time I got turned around - first one I've seen hereabouts, would be new for county) Blue-fronted Dancer Argia apicalis Blue tipped Dancer Argia tibialis Swamp Darner, Epiaeschna heros Cyrano Darner, Nasiaeschna pentacantha Black-shouldered Spinylegs, Dromogomphus spinosus. Landed on each of our boats, which was nice. Dragonhunter, Hagenius brevistylus Russet-tipped Clubtail, Stylurus plagiatus Eastern Pondhawk, Erythemis simplicicollis Slaty Skimmer, Libellula incesta Great Blue Skimmer, Libellula vibrans Blue Dasher, Pachydiplax longipennis Prince Baskettail, Epitheca princeps Royal River Cruiser, Macrimia taeniolata Georgia River Cruiser, Macromia illinoisensis georgina And one or two largish dragonflies of which I couldn't identify on the wing, which is always enticing.. and on the road: Swamp Darners Emerald sp. Somatochlora sp. Carolina Saddlebags, Tramea carolina This was probably the first river trip since April when I didn't find a single exuvia. The Stylurus plagiatus exuviae were thick a month or more ago, but it's down to less than a trickle, which is odd, because I know they've got a couple months left in their flight season. CH ************************************************************************ Christopher E. Hill Biology Department Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC 29528-1954 chill AT coastal.edu http://ww2.coastal.edu/chill/chill.htm “It is always advisable to perceive clearly our ignorance” - Charles Darwin Subject: Red-veined Pennant (GA) From: VLDELOACH AT aol.com Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2010 19:15:59 EDT I found a Red-veined Pennant (Celithemis bertha) yesterday at the fairly new Lathem reservoir in Dawson County GA. Part of the reservoir is in Cherokee Co. so I'm sure they could be found for Cherokee as well. There are just a few counties in N. Georgia with records for this species. The male was perched near a male Calico Pennant and I was able to get shots with both species. We returned today and I found another male on the end of the dock. The spotting on the wings was quite different in the two individuals. Three pennant species were flying at this spot but as so often is the case this summer - no Halloween's. The only other ode of interest was Black-shouldered Spinyleg. I saw a Dragonhunter there last summer. This is a very quiet reservoir with little use and electric motors only. If someone could take a boat out and look for odes I bet the results would be impressive. We also came across a lifer Regal Moth in the mountains - quite an impressive creature. Vicki DeLoach Woodstock, GA _http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickisnature/_ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickisnature/) Subject: mixed feeding swarms Perry, Sumner Cos. TN From: Rconnorsphoto AT aol.com Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:50:16 EDT 7/21/10 Sumner Co. TN, Bledsoe Creek State Park, Cumberland River/ Old Hickory Lake 7/22/10 Perry Co. TN, Mousetail Landing State Park, Tennessee River/ Kentucky Lake Mixed feeding swarms observed the last couple of days contained mostly Wandering Gliders. At Bledsoe Creek SP on Wed. insect activity picked up after a rain shower with dragonflies feeding in an open playground area. They were flying erratically in a feeding frenzy, but most were flying down low, I suppose prey insects were coming off the wet grass. Even so netting for gliders not successful but one Prince Baskettail was captured for photos. Of 30+ in this swarm: aprox. 10-12 Wandering Gliders, 8-10 Spot-winged Gliders, 6-8 Prince Baskettails, plus a few Slaty Skimmers. At Mousetail Landing on Thursday at 10AM all open areas had feeding dragonflies. One area had: Wandering Gliders 20+, Slaty Skimmers, Prince Baskettails, Blue Dashers, Great Blue Skimmers, few Spot-winged Gliders and a couple of Swamp Darners. Feeding activity slowed to a trickle as temps soared and would have picked up again in late afternoon. I presume this corresponds with prey insect activity. A couple of Wandering Gliders were observed egg laying in a fast drying-up small pond (there were no shiny car hoods or windshields near by to temp them otherwise). One swarm observed on July 1 at Chickasaw SP in Henderson Co. ran from aprox. 5:30 - 6:30PM, and then it mostly dispersed. It contained, from most to least: Black Saddlebags, Wandering Gliders, Widow Skimmers, Prince Baskettails, and a few Emerald Sp. One slow-flying Clamp-tipped Emerald female was captured for photos. A warmed-up glider is hard to catch. I've had more luck documenting with photos. But that takes some luck also, early morning finding perched individuals not yet warmed up, or late afternoon seeing them going to roost in the weeds. Richard Connors Nashville Subject: More Gliders have arrived From: Bruce Grimes <blue_corporal AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:59:06 -0700 (PDT) Not too much mention of it in the group so far, but the Pantala species much in evidence here is hymenaea (Spot-winged Glider) rather than flavescens--here being the mountains of Virginia, Blacksburg area.  They are in almost every parking lot, even the small one near my office, and I have seen them cruising by as I am stopped at lights.  Usually seeing singles.   Started to see them about June 20, a little earlier than normal. We usually do not start at migration watch spot atop the Blue Ridge till mid-August, and very seldom see Spot-winged then.  Does anyone have experience of seeing them move in numbers past a watch point, and if so, what dates have largest numbers? Bruce Grimes Christiansburg, VA --- On Thu, 7/22/10, kjchilds wrote: From: kjchilds Subject: Re: [se-odonata] the Wandering Gliders have arrived To: "Hal White" Cc: "SE-Odonata" , "tn-dragonflies" Date: Thursday, July 22, 2010, 6:58 PM I'd already seen this and you're right, this is a must see video for anyone interested in Dragonflies.. Other interesting behavior. Late in the afternoon when shadows are long, the Gliders are flying in and out of the shadows cast by the larger trees on the farm. I'm guessing this is some sort of feeding behavior even though I haven't actually seen any catching prey. Also, for the first time ever, I saw a Glider land. It perched for less that a second but it did land right next to me.  Ken Childs Henderson, TN Chester County http://www.finishflagfarms.com From: Hal White To: kjchilds Cc: SE-Odonata ; tn-dragonflies Sent: Thu, July 22, 2010 9:59:48 AM Subject: Re: [se-odonata] the Wandering Gliders have arrived   Ken and others, For anyone interested in Wandering Gliders, the video linked below is an absolutely must see. Dennis Paulson called it to the Odonata listserve attention at the beginning of this year. Hal White Newark, DE kjchilds wrote: > > > It took longer than expected but more are starting to arrive. It's still > not as many as in past years but maybe more will show up in the next few > days. Here's a short video I took this morning. > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sByT4AomJK4 > > They are scattered all over the farm but most are concentrated over this > small, relatively barren pasture. > > Ken Childs > Henderson, TN > Chester County > > http://www.finishflagfarms.com > > ---------------------------------------------------------- > *From:* kjchilds > *To:* SE-Odonata > *Sent:* Sat, July 17, 2010 8:20:59 AM > *Subject:* Re: [se-odonata] the Wandering Gliders have arrived > > When I first saw them here about 5 years ago, I thought it must have > something to do with flies and horse manure but they're flying over > areas that actually have less bugs than the pastures with grass. The > horses generally stick close to the barn which is where the majority of > the flies congregate but these Gliders are flying over the parts of the > pasture that are away from the barn. Most of my 22 acres has horses but > the Gliders are concentrated over one barren area that's maybe a little > over 1 acre. > > If I get a chance, I'll try and watch them for awhile to see if I can > figure out what's going on. > > Ken Childs > Henderson, TN > Chester County > > http://www.finishflagfarms.com > > > ---------------------------------------------------------- > *From:* Dennis Paulson > *To:* kjchilds > *Cc:* tn-dragonflies ; SE-Odonata > > *Sent:* Fri, July 16, 2010 2:02:33 PM > *Subject:* Re: [se-odonata] the Wandering Gliders have arrived > > Ken, > > My guess would be that there is something about that pasture that > attracts the most flying insects that the gliders feed on. The presence > or distribution of the horses and their accompanying flies? There could > be something about wind patterns that concentrate the prey there. If > there is no water for them to breed in right there, prey abundance > should be the only other variable. > > Dennis > > > On Jul 16, 2010, at 10:45 AM, kjchilds wrote: > >> >> >> Every July I get hundreds of Gliders wandering aimlessly over one of >> my smaller pastures. The first 50 or so showed up this morning so I >> expect that in a day or so there will be 200 to 500 in the same area. >> I don't know what it is about this particular pasture but for some >> reason they really like it. In past years they stuck around for about >> a week. >> >> This pasture is slightly elevated above most of the surrounding area >> and is well worn down by our horses so it's mostly dirt but I have >> other pastures in a similar condition and they don't gather there. >> Anyone have any theories as to why they would pick this pasture to gather? >> >> Ken Childs >> Henderson, TN >> Chester County >> >> http://www.finishfl agfarms.com > > > > ----- > Dennis Paulson > 1724 NE 98 St. > Seattle, WA 98115 > 206-528-1382 > dennispaulson AT comcast.net > > > > > > > > Subject: Re: the Wandering Gliders have arrived From: kjchilds <kjchilds AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:58:11 -0700 (PDT) I'd already seen this and you're right, this is a must see video for anyone interested in Dragonflies.. Other interesting behavior. Late in the afternoon when shadows are long, the Gliders are flying in and out of the shadows cast by the larger trees on the farm. I'm guessing this is some sort of feeding behavior even though I haven't actually seen any catching prey. Also, for the first time ever, I saw a Glider land. It perched for less that a second but it did land right next to me. Ken Childs Henderson, TN Chester County http://www.finishflagfarms.com ________________________________ From: Hal White To: kjchilds Cc: SE-Odonata ; tn-dragonflies Sent: Thu, July 22, 2010 9:59:48 AM Subject: Re: [se-odonata] the Wandering Gliders have arrived Ken and others, For anyone interested in Wandering Gliders, the video linked below is an absolutely must see. Dennis Paulson called it to the Odonata listserve attention at the beginning of this year. Hal White Newark, DE kjchilds wrote: > > > It took longer than expected but more are starting to arrive. It's still > not as many as in past years but maybe more will show up in the next few > days. Here's a short video I took this morning. > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sByT4AomJK4 > > They are scattered all over the farm but most are concentrated over this > small, relatively barren pasture. > > Ken Childs > Henderson, TN > Chester County > > http://www.finishflagfarms.com > > ---------------------------------------------------------- > *From:* kjchilds > *To:* SE-Odonata > *Sent:* Sat, July 17, 2010 8:20:59 AM > *Subject:* Re: [se-odonata] the Wandering Gliders have arrived > > When I first saw them here about 5 years ago, I thought it must have > something to do with flies and horse manure but they're flying over > areas that actually have less bugs than the pastures with grass. The > horses generally stick close to the barn which is where the majority of > the flies congregate but these Gliders are flying over the parts of the > pasture that are away from the barn. Most of my 22 acres has horses but > the Gliders are concentrated over one barren area that's maybe a little > over 1 acre. > > If I get a chance, I'll try and watch them for awhile to see if I can > figure out what's going on. > > Ken Childs > Henderson, TN > Chester County > > http://www.finishflagfarms.com > > > ---------------------------------------------------------- > *From:* Dennis Paulson > *To:* kjchilds > *Cc:* tn-dragonflies ; SE-Odonata > > *Sent:* Fri, July 16, 2010 2:02:33 PM > *Subject:* Re: [se-odonata] the Wandering Gliders have arrived > > Ken, > > My guess would be that there is something about that pasture that > attracts the most flying insects that the gliders feed on. The presence > or distribution of the horses and their accompanying flies? There could > be something about wind patterns that concentrate the prey there. If > there is no water for them to breed in right there, prey abundance > should be the only other variable. > > Dennis > > > On Jul 16, 2010, at 10:45 AM, kjchilds wrote: > >> >> >> Every July I get hundreds of Gliders wandering aimlessly over one of >> my smaller pastures. The first 50 or so showed up this morning so I >> expect that in a day or so there will be 200 to 500 in the same area. >> I don't know what it is about this particular pasture but for some >> reason they really like it. In past years they stuck around for about >> a week. >> >> This pasture is slightly elevated above most of the surrounding area >> and is well worn down by our horses so it's mostly dirt but I have >> other pastures in a similar condition and they don't gather there. >> Anyone have any theories as to why they would pick this pasture to gather? >> >> Ken Childs >> Henderson, TN >> Chester County >> >> http://www.finishfl agfarms.com > > > > ----- > Dennis Paulson > 1724 NE 98 St. > Seattle, WA 98115 > 206-528-1382 > dennispaulson AT comcast.net > > > > > > > > Subject: West Coast visitor looking for productive sites to find odes From: "clvag400" <tapaculo AT mac.com> Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:36:22 -0000 Hi - I'm Steve Rovell from California. I'm a member of both SE Odes and CalOdes. I'm here on vacation with my family (Hilton Head until Saturday, with Orlando and Vero Beach, Florida after that. My sons love looking for odes, as do I, and they definitely want to get out and search. Can anyone give some ideas of sites to visit that are near these places? My sons and I would be very appreciative. Thanks. Steve Rovell Marina, CA (central coast) Subject: Re: the Wandering Gliders have arrived From: Hal White <halwhite AT udel.edu> Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:59:48 -0400 Ken and others, For anyone interested in Wandering Gliders, the video linked below is an absolutely must see. Dennis Paulson called it to the Odonata listserve attention at the beginning of this year. Hal White Newark, DE kjchilds wrote: > > > It took longer than expected but more are starting to arrive. It's still > not as many as in past years but maybe more will show up in the next few > days. Here's a short video I took this morning. > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sByT4AomJK4 > > They are scattered all over the farm but most are concentrated over this > small, relatively barren pasture. > > Ken Childs > Henderson, TN > Chester County > > http://www.finishflagfarms.com > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > *From:* kjchilds > *To:* SE-Odonata > *Sent:* Sat, July 17, 2010 8:20:59 AM > *Subject:* Re: [se-odonata] the Wandering Gliders have arrived > > When I first saw them here about 5 years ago, I thought it must have > something to do with flies and horse manure but they're flying over > areas that actually have less bugs than the pastures with grass. The > horses generally stick close to the barn which is where the majority of > the flies congregate but these Gliders are flying over the parts of the > pasture that are away from the barn. Most of my 22 acres has horses but > the Gliders are concentrated over one barren area that's maybe a little > over 1 acre. > > If I get a chance, I'll try and watch them for awhile to see if I can > figure out what's going on. > > Ken Childs > Henderson, TN > Chester County > > http://www.finishflagfarms.com > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > *From:* Dennis Paulson > *To:* kjchilds > *Cc:* tn-dragonflies ; SE-Odonata > > *Sent:* Fri, July 16, 2010 2:02:33 PM > *Subject:* Re: [se-odonata] the Wandering Gliders have arrived > > Ken, > > My guess would be that there is something about that pasture that > attracts the most flying insects that the gliders feed on. The presence > or distribution of the horses and their accompanying flies? There could > be something about wind patterns that concentrate the prey there. If > there is no water for them to breed in right there, prey abundance > should be the only other variable. > > Dennis > > > On Jul 16, 2010, at 10:45 AM, kjchilds wrote: > >> >> >> Every July I get hundreds of Gliders wandering aimlessly over one of >> my smaller pastures. The first 50 or so showed up this morning so I >> expect that in a day or so there will be 200 to 500 in the same area. >> I don't know what it is about this particular pasture but for some >> reason they really like it. In past years they stuck around for about >> a week. >> >> This pasture is slightly elevated above most of the surrounding area >> and is well worn down by our horses so it's mostly dirt but I have >> other pastures in a similar condition and they don't gather there. >> Anyone have any theories as to why they would pick this pasture to gather? >> >> Ken Childs >> Henderson, TN >> Chester County >> >> http://www.finishfl agfarms.com > > > > ----- > Dennis Paulson > 1724 NE 98 St. > Seattle, WA 98115 > 206-528-1382 > dennispaulson AT comcast.net > > > > > > > > Subject: Re: the Wandering Gliders have arrived From: kjchilds <kjchilds AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:16:36 -0700 (PDT) It took longer than expected but more are starting to arrive. It's still not as many as in past years but maybe more will show up in the next few days. Here's a short video I took this morning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sByT4AomJK4 They are scattered all over the farm but most are concentrated over this small, relatively barren pasture. Ken Childs Henderson, TN Chester County http://www.finishflagfarms.com ________________________________ From: kjchilds To: SE-Odonata Sent: Sat, July 17, 2010 8:20:59 AM Subject: Re: [se-odonata] the Wandering Gliders have arrived When I first saw them here about 5 years ago, I thought it must have something to do with flies and horse manure but they're flying over areas that actually have less bugs than the pastures with grass. The horses generally stick close to the barn which is where the majority of the flies congregate but these Gliders are flying over the parts of the pasture that are away from the barn. Most of my 22 acres has horses but the Gliders are concentrated over one barren area that's maybe a little over 1 acre. If I get a chance, I'll try and watch them for awhile to see if I can figure out what's going on. Ken Childs Henderson, TN Chester County http://www.finishflagfarms.com ________________________________ From: Dennis Paulson To: kjchilds Cc: tn-dragonflies ; SE-Odonata Sent: Fri, July 16, 2010 2:02:33 PM Subject: Re: [se-odonata] the Wandering Gliders have arrived Ken, My guess would be that there is something about that pasture that attracts the most flying insects that the gliders feed on. The presence or distribution of the horses and their accompanying flies? There could be something about wind patterns that concentrate the prey there. If there is no water for them to breed in right there, prey abundance should be the only other variable. Dennis On Jul 16, 2010, at 10:45 AM, kjchilds wrote: > > >Every July I get hundreds of Gliders wandering aimlessly over one of my smaller >pastures. The first 50 or so showed up this morning so I expect that in a day or >so there will be 200 to 500 in the same area. I don't know what it is about this >particular pasture but for some reason they really like it. In past years they >stuck around for about a week. > > >This pasture is slightly elevated above most of the surrounding area and is well >worn down by our horses so it's mostly dirt but I have other pastures in a >similar condition and they don't gather there. Anyone have any theories as to >why they would pick this pasture to gather? > > Ken Childs >Henderson, TN >Chester County > >http://www.finishfl agfarms.com > > > ----- Dennis Paulson 1724 NE 98 St. Seattle, WA 98115 206-528-1382 dennispaulson AT comcast.net Subject: Spreadwing ID [1 Attachment] From: "birdranger" <cbockhahn4 AT earthlink.net> Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:22:08 -0400 Catching up from busy summer, about 2 inch spreadwing from 5/1/2010 Wake County, NC at Falls Lake. Was leaning towards Slender but photo doesn't show yellow outer wing vein. Teneral female? Either Elegant or Slender would be new to the growing Falls Lake checklist which is at 89 species I think. Thanks, Brian Bockhahn Falls Lake State Park Ranger Falls & Kerr Lake CBC Compiler cbockhahn4 AT earthlink.net Subject: Lewis Ocean Bay HP, Conway, SC From: Chris Hill <chill AT coastal.edu> Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:25:34 -0400 I helped my wife with some aquatic sampling today at a state heritage preserve, Lewis Ocean Bay. The array of odes was normal, characteristic for the site, but still enjoyable since I don't see Comet Darners, Painted or Bar-winged Skimmers, or LB Dragonlets too often without making a trip to someplace like LOB. Ebony Jewelwing, Calopteryx maculata - 6 Variable Dancer, Argia f. fumipennis - 1 Atlantic Bluet, Enallagma doubledayi - 5* Fragile Forktail, Ischnura posita - 1 Citrine Forktail, Ischnura hastata - 1 Comet Darner, Anax longipes - 1 Common Green Darner, Anax junius - 1 Common Pondhawk, Erythemis simplicicollis - 2 Little Blue Dragonlet, Erythrodiplax minusculum - 4 Bar-winged Skimmer, Libellula axilena - 1 Painted Skimmer, Libellula semifasciata - 1 Great Blue Skimmer, Libellula vibrans - 8 *not all the bluets were checked, but one was an Atlantic, and that's the usual blue bluet at LOB. That's it, aside from one larval Spiketail (almost certainly Arrowhead, Cordulegaster obliqua) found in the little stream Amy was sampling. I've been hoping that a very spagnum-filled bay/seep that's also at Lewis Ocean Bay would produce a Yellow-sided Skimmer, Libellula flavida, some day, or else a Elfin Skimmer or Sphagnum Sprite for the county list, but so far no dice there. Most of the above were in a grassy puddle/pond, only about 15' wide and 40' long. It was pleasant to have males of both Comet and Common Green Darners coming by in the sunlight, waist high and close enough to touch, as they patrolled. Chris ************************************************************************ Christopher E. Hill Biology Department Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC 29528-1954 chill AT coastal.edu http://ww2.coastal.edu/chill/chill.htm It's impossible to make anything foolproof, because fools are so ingenious. Subject: DSA From: Chris Hill <chill AT coastal.edu> Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:21:28 -0400 Hi Southeastern Oders, Having returned from the Dragonfly Society of the Americas meeting in Maine a few weeks ago, I thought I'd give a recap. It was fantastic. Lots of great sites, great people, great bugs. Allowing very generous guidelines (anything seen at the meeting, on the scheduled pre- and post-meeting trips, and throwing in anything else any participant saw in Maine while there), the total number of odonate species recorded was a mind numbing 111. Lots of details here: http://www.wingsenvironmental.com/dsa/index.html I think in two active field days (Thank you to the very active and deadeye net-swinging Steve Collins who let me accompany him both days) I saw 60+ species, including lots of new stuff for me. Lots of time wading in beautiful streams. And, not least, the chance to rub elbows with people who really know their stuff. It's kind of like being able to go birding with David Sibley AND Roger Tory Peterson. One learns a lot. So you should all consider going to a regional or national DSA meeting - they're great! And even if that isn't something you think you will do, you should think about joining DSA and getting Argia, the very informative and often entertaining news journal of the DSA. membership information here: http://www.odonatacentral.org/index.php/PageAction.get/name/DSAHomePage Chris ************************************************************************ Christopher E. Hill Biology Department Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC 29528-1954 chill AT coastal.edu http://ww2.coastal.edu/chill/chill.htm "It is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation, which give happiness." - Thomas Jefferson Subject: 21 inch net From: Chris Hill <chill AT coastal.edu> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:01:27 -0400 Hi all, [apologies for cross-posting] With visions of Somatochloras and Shadowdragons dancing in my eyes, I'm making a very long handled net with at 21" hoop. I've seen a couple other people using 21" nets, and the standard net bag that size from BioQuip seems to be very baggy, sort of pillowcase-shaped, rather than tapered. Some are fine with that, but nets get wet, and swinging a big wet net bugs me, so I asked BioQuip and they said their 21" net was baggy on purpose because they envisioned it being used "...as a 'scoop net' ... It is for holding under branches, banging on the branches and then being able to scoop up everything that is falling into it." They didn't know the lengths* desperate dragonflyers would go to! But they'll custom sew a more streamlined conical net bag if I order three of them. (hemming the standard one is beyond my pathetic sewing skills). Anyone else want one? It would be $25.40. If one more person wants one, I'll put in an order. Chris ************************************************************************ Christopher E. Hill Biology Department Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC 29528-1954 chill AT coastal.edu http://ww2.coastal.edu/chill/chill.htm One fifth of the people are against everything all the time. Robert F. Kennedy *well, diameters, technically, but also, see here: http://homepage.mac.com/edlam/dragonflyroad/pamsnet.jpg Subject: Re: [tn-dragonflies] the Wandering Gliders have arrived From: dnldhlt AT aol.com Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2010 19:01:29 -0400 Wandering Gliders follow weather systems and lay eggs in temporary pools. Does your pasture puddle up significantly after a thunderstorm? Don Holt -----Original Message----- From: kjchilds To: tn-dragonflies ; SE-Odonata Sent: Fri, Jul 16, 2010 1:45 pm Subject: [tn-dragonflies] the Wandering Gliders have arrived Every July I get hundreds of Gliders wandering aimlessly over one of my smaller pastures. The first 50 or so showed up this morning so I expect that in a day or so there will be 200 to 500 in the same area. I don't know what it is about this particular pasture but for some reason they really like it. In past years they stuck around for about a week. This pasture is slightly elevated above most of the surrounding area and is well worn down by our horses so it's mostly dirt but I have other pastures in a similar condition and they don't gather there. Anyone have any theories as to why they would pick this pasture to gather? Ken Childs Henderson, TN Chester County http://www.finishflagfarms.com Subject: Re: the Wandering Gliders have arrived From: kjchilds <kjchilds AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2010 06:20:59 -0700 (PDT) When I first saw them here about 5 years ago, I thought it must have something to do with flies and horse manure but they're flying over areas that actually have less bugs than the pastures with grass. The horses generally stick close to the barn which is where the majority of the flies congregate but these Gliders are flying over the parts of the pasture that are away from the barn. Most of my 22 acres has horses but the Gliders are concentrated over one barren area that's maybe a little over 1 acre. If I get a chance, I'll try and watch them for awhile to see if I can figure out what's going on. Ken Childs Henderson, TN Chester County http://www.finishflagfarms.com ________________________________ From: Dennis Paulson To: kjchilds Cc: tn-dragonflies ; SE-Odonata Sent: Fri, July 16, 2010 2:02:33 PM Subject: Re: [se-odonata] the Wandering Gliders have arrived Ken, My guess would be that there is something about that pasture that attracts the most flying insects that the gliders feed on. The presence or distribution of the horses and their accompanying flies? There could be something about wind patterns that concentrate the prey there. If there is no water for them to breed in right there, prey abundance should be the only other variable. Dennis On Jul 16, 2010, at 10:45 AM, kjchilds wrote: > > >Every July I get hundreds of Gliders wandering aimlessly over one of my smaller >pastures. The first 50 or so showed up this morning so I expect that in a day or >so there will be 200 to 500 in the same area. I don't know what it is about this >particular pasture but for some reason they really like it. In past years they >stuck around for about a week. > > >This pasture is slightly elevated above most of the surrounding area and is well >worn down by our horses so it's mostly dirt but I have other pastures in a >similar condition and they don't gather there. Anyone have any theories as to >why they would pick this pasture to gather? > > Ken Childs >Henderson, TN >Chester County > >http://www.finishfl agfarms.com > > > ----- Dennis Paulson 1724 NE 98 St. Seattle, WA 98115 206-528-1382 dennispaulson AT comcast.net Subject: Re: the Wandering Gliders have arrived From: Dennis Paulson <dennispaulson AT comcast.net> Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:02:33 -0700 Ken, My guess would be that there is something about that pasture that attracts the most flying insects that the gliders feed on. The presence or distribution of the horses and their accompanying flies? There could be something about wind patterns that concentrate the prey there. If there is no water for them to breed in right there, prey abundance should be the only other variable. Dennis On Jul 16, 2010, at 10:45 AM, kjchilds wrote: > > Every July I get hundreds of Gliders wandering aimlessly over one of my smaller pastures. The first 50 or so showed up this morning so I expect that in a day or so there will be 200 to 500 in the same area. I don't know what it is about this particular pasture but for some reason they really like it. In past years they stuck around for about a week. > > This pasture is slightly elevated above most of the surrounding area and is well worn down by our horses so it's mostly dirt but I have other pastures in a similar condition and they don't gather there. Anyone have any theories as to why they would pick this pasture to gather? > > Ken Childs > Henderson, TN > Chester County > > http://www.finishflagfarms.com > > ----- Dennis Paulson 1724 NE 98 St. Seattle, WA 98115 206-528-1382 dennispaulson AT comcast.net Subject: the Wandering Gliders have arrived From: kjchilds <kjchilds AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:45:50 -0700 (PDT) Every July I get hundreds of Gliders wandering aimlessly over one of my smaller pastures. The first 50 or so showed up this morning so I expect that in a day or so there will be 200 to 500 in the same area. I don't know what it is about this particular pasture but for some reason they really like it. In past years they stuck around for about a week. This pasture is slightly elevated above most of the surrounding area and is well worn down by our horses so it's mostly dirt but I have other pastures in a similar condition and they don't gather there. Anyone have any theories as to why they would pick this pasture to gather? Ken Childs Henderson, TN Chester County http://www.finishflagfarms.com Subject: it's a wonder... From: "SL Brown" <ictinia AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:19:50 -0400 that there are any Great Blue Skimmers at all! They do thrive in my area of coastal South Carolina, but I've been watching numerous females ovipositing in impossible locations all week: our white car & white truck hood & roof - a bare patch of sand in the driveway - ridiculously small (and temporary) puddles in the road. Just wanted to share that bit of trivia. Sharon L. Brown http://SLBrownPhoto.com --------------------------------------------------------------- "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more." John Burroughs Subject: Rainbow Bluet (Enallagma antennatum) in SE From: "gljeinwv AT juno.com" <gljeinwv@juno.com> Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:27:54 GMT Richard and the group. I have to admit that the vast majority of my searches in the field have been restricted to two counties in WV and one in nearby Md., but I have yet to see a Rainbow Bluet. I'd love to see one. BTW, nice shot. Gary Felton - Kingwood, WV ---------- Original Message ---------- From: Rconnorsphoto AT aol.com To: se-odonata AT yahoogroups.com, tn-dragonflies AT freelists.org Subject: [se-odonata] Rainbow Bluet (Enallagma antennatum) in SE [1 Attachment] Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:34:07 EDT Recent sightings in middle Tennessee have me wondering about distribution of Rainbow Bluet, Enallagma antennatum, in the Southeast. I just think it a little odd that there are so few sightings of this species in the Southeast, its so widely found north of here. Why am I finding it in middle TN? Judging by what's listed at Odonata Central, evidently E. antennatum has so far not been found in NC, VA or AR, with only 1 site in Missouri, and 4 Kentucky records from the northern part of the state (TX Panhandle - 1, OK - 2, Kansas - many). My 2 (6/22 Williamson Co & 6/23 Rutherford Co) recent sightings bring the TN counties listed for Rainbow Bluet to 4. Habitat - a slow section of stream where a dirt bank goes into the creek with grass/plant material coming all the way into the water making a grassy area for males to hang out over water; with continuous grassy corridor into roosting, feeding, female/immature's habitat; and with mud bottom extensive or limited to immediate area. And sunny and open enough to promote the grassy site. This more or less reflects habitat suggested in Ed Lam's Damselflies of the Northeast, and in Westfall and May. The creeks I have found it on are mostly not muddy but with limestone bedrock, with some gravel and some vegetation, with the muddy area limited but enough evidently to suit this species' needs. Its such a neatly colored little damselfly I hope others in our area can find it. That's such a big area for it to jump, from northern KY to middle TN, surely its there if folks who are out there look closely when in this type habitat. I would especially be curious to see if it might be found in VA or NC and elsewhere in TN and KY. There might be specimens or other records that have not yet been turned in to OC. See attachment of one photo. Richard ConnorsNashville TN ____________________________________________________________ "Six Sigma" Certification Enroll in Villanova University's prestigious six sigma certification program - 100% Online http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4c3c6a32e5fb622d43est04vuc Subject: Rainbow Bluet (Enallagma antennatum) in SE [1 Attachment] From: Rconnorsphoto AT aol.com Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:34:07 EDT Recent sightings in middle Tennessee have me wondering about distribution of Rainbow Bluet, Enallagma antennatum, in the Southeast. I just think it a little odd that there are so few sightings of this species in the Southeast, its so widely found north of here. Why am I finding it in middle TN? Judging by what's listed at Odonata Central, evidently E. antennatum has so far not been found in NC, VA or AR, with only 1 site in Missouri, and 4 Kentucky records from the northern part of the state (TX Panhandle - 1, OK - 2, Kansas - many). My 2 (6/22 Williamson Co & 6/23 Rutherford Co) recent sightings bring the TN counties listed for Rainbow Bluet to 4. Habitat - a slow section of stream where a dirt bank goes into the creek with grass/plant material coming all the way into the water making a grassy area for males to hang out over water; with continuous grassy corridor into roosting, feeding, female/immature's habitat; and with mud bottom extensive or limited to immediate area. And sunny and open enough to promote the grassy site. This more or less reflects habitat suggested in Ed Lam's Damselflies of the Northeast, and in Westfall and May. The creeks I have found it on are mostly not muddy but with limestone bedrock, with some gravel and some vegetation, with the muddy area limited but enough evidently to suit this species' needs. Its such a neatly colored little damselfly I hope others in our area can find it. That's such a big area for it to jump, from northern KY to middle TN, surely its there if folks who are out there look closely when in this type habitat. I would especially be curious to see if it might be found in VA or NC and elsewhere in TN and KY. There might be specimens or other records that have not yet been turned in to OC. See attachment of one photo. Richard Connors Nashville TN Subject: Comet Darner, Sanddragon (GA) From: VLDELOACH AT aol.com Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2010 10:09:18 EDT The male Comet Darner is still at the pond in Brasstown Valley/Towns Co. Georgia. It's reliable if anyone wants to see one or photograph it. I was surprised to see a Common Sanddragon on one of the sticks I put out in my backyard to attract Blue Dashers and Swift Setwings. There's a small creek and pond behind us but nothing sandy that I'm aware of. Vicki DeLoach Woodstock, GA _http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickisnature/_ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickisnature/) Subject: Wambah Creek et al. [4 Attachments] From: Chris Hill <chill AT coastal.edu> Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2010 10:46:05 -0400 Hi all, I had some bird fieldwork to do in Georgetown, SC yesterday and I took a loop through the Frances Marion National Forest to check a few sites for odonates. All the sites were at bridges where Rt. 45 crossed slow, mucky, blackwater streams. The nicest was Wambah Creek, which had a nice assortment flying: Argia tibialis, Blue-tipped Dancer Epiaeschna heros, Swamp Darner (possibly Nasiaeschna pentacantha, Cyrano Darner) Aphylla williamsoni, Two-striped Forceptail Arigomphus pallidus, Gray-green Clubtail Macromia taeniolata, Royal River Cruiser Epitheca princeps, Prince Baskettail and common skimmers like Slaty, Great Blue, Eastern Amberwing and Eastern Pondhawk. Echaw Creek had dirtier, more stagnant water, good for turtles and Blue Dashers and not too much else, but nearby in a big stand of Lizard Tail, I found a FURTIVE FORKTAIL, Ischnura prognata, only my second or third ever. My rule of thumb is: if you think you might step on a cottonmouth at any step, you're probably in good habitat for Furtive Forktails. Probably the highlight was that multiple individuals of Two-striped Forceptails were flying and landing around me at Wambah. Even with my little point and shoot, it was possible to get some passable pictures. Two-striped Forceptail Two-striped Forceptail Gray-green Clubtail Great Blue Skimmer ************************************************************************ Christopher E. Hill Biology Department Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC 29528-1954 chill AT coastal.edu http://ww2.coastal.edu/chill/chill.htm Villelin's Laws of Experimentation. 1. If reproducibility may be a problem, conduct the test only once. 2. If a straight line fit is required, only obtain two data points. Subject: Re: Two-Striped Forceptail (Aphylla williamsoni) in Tennessee From: Marion Dobbs <spreadwing AT mac.com> Date: Sat, 03 Jul 2010 20:25:45 -0400 I have had Two-striped Forceptail in Floyd Co., in northwest GA. If you are interested, you can see the known distribution, by county, of this species in Georgia at this link: http://www.mamomi.net/Odonata/Map%20pages/Clubtails/Aphylla%20williamsoni.htm Marion Dobbs Rome (Floyd Co.) GA spreadwing AT mac.com pond_damsel AT comcast.net http://www.mamomi.net http://ponddamsel.phanfare.com http://mariondobbs.smugmug.com/ "We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another -- until we speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard as well as our voices."__Bob Greene, author. On Jul 3, 2010, at 11:23 AM, Rconnorsphoto AT aol.com wrote: > > July 2, 2010 Chickasaw State Park, Hardeman County TN > > I got a new bug yesterday and quite a handsome bug at that! I don't believe Two-striped Forceptail (Aphylla williamsoni) has been recorded in Tennessee before. I believe I recall that David Trently of Knoxville found one north of Atlanta, and Giff B or someone commenting that was the northernmost they knew of it in the state of Georgia. > Giff in his book does mention an apparent range expansion of A. williamsoni into the Piedmont. Maybe its making a big push north. This TN bug was seen at a state park lake, in south-west part of the state, just one male seen, in same area were several Flag-tailed Spinyleg (Dromogomphus spoliatus) males. I made no capture attempt, I didn't think I would be successful, and I would like others to possibly see it. If they do expand north into TN and others are seen, there will be other opportunities for capturing voucher specimen. > > See photos here: > http://www.pbase.com/rconnorsnaturephoto/image/126185031 > http://www.pbase.com/rconnorsnaturephoto/image/126185030 > > > Also new for me from west TN - Common Sanddragon (Progomphus obscurus). It's not common around me here in middle TN as there is not much surface sand in the soil, so it was a treat to finally see this one, and it also is quite a handsome bug. > http://www.pbase.com/rconnorsnaturephoto/image/126185033 > > Richard Connors > Nashville TN > > Marion Dobbs Rome (Floyd Co.) GA spreadwing AT mac.com pond_damsel AT comcast.net http://www.mamomi.net http://ponddamsel.phanfare.com http://mariondobbs.smugmug.com/ "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few." _Shunryu Suzuki Subject: new ode for the yard From: "gljeinwv AT juno.com" <gljeinwv@juno.com> Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2010 00:06:13 GMT The best ode I had today was the, new-for-the-yard, White-faced Meadowhawk. Gary Felton - Kingwood, WV ____________________________________________________________ SHOCKING: 13" Macbook Pro for $91.72! SPECIAL REPORT: Macbooks are being auctioned for an incredible 85% off! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4c2fd0c1da62f17d7b9st02vuc Subject: Falls Dam odes From: "Ali Iyoob" <aliiyoob AT nc.rr.com> Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 18:19:20 -0400 Hi all, Today, I had a great day at Falls Dam, amazing numbers! Also decided to try for shadowdragons at dawn today instead of at dusk. Numbers way lower, only saw 3 and caught 1. Also found 2 Eastern Red Damsels, numbers have plummeted. This list is between yesterday and today. Gray Petaltail-1 Common Green Darner-1 Fawn Darner-2 Swamp Darner-2 BS Spineyleg-3 Eastern Ringtail-1 Nice Photos Draonhunter-1 Nice Photos Common Sanddragon-7 Georgia River Cruiser-1 Prince Baskettail-2 Smoky Shadowdragon-3 Calico Pennent-4 Halloween Pennant-3 Swift Setwing-1 Eastern Pondhawk-3 Spangled Skimmer-4 Golden-winged Skimmer-1 (4th Falls Lake record) Male Slaty Skimmer-9 Bar-winged Skimmer-1 Great Blue Skimmer-4 Widow Skimmer-15 Common Whitetail-5 Painted Skimmer-1 Blue Dasher-1 Wandering Glider-2 Spot-winged Glider-1 Eastern Amberwing-10 AUTUMN MEADOWHAWK- 1 FOY Carolina Saddlebags-2 Black Saddlebags-1 Familiar Bluet-2 Stream Bluet-10 Blue-ringed Dancer-10 Powdered Dancer-2 Blue-tipped Dancer-2 Eastern Red Damsel-2 Citrine Forktail-2 Orange Bluet-1 Fragile Forktail-10 Ebony Jewelwing-4 American Rubyspot-3 Possible Smoky Rubyspot-1 Ali Iyoob North Raleigh, NC www.flickr.com/photos/longspur http://birdingjournal.blogspot.com Subject: Re: Georgia odes From: Chris Hill <chill AT coastal.edu> Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 17:08:30 -0400 Hey, there's nothing wrong with skimmers, is there? I just returned from a spectacular Dragonfly meeting in Maine, and in visiting a couple local spots, I still think there are a lot of good to be said for clouds of Saddlebags, Needham's and Widow Skimmers and other such ilk. As my wife says when I describe yet another dull, shy, brown gomphid "..and why is it that *that* gets the dragonfliers excited, again?" As is sort of expected, damselfly diversity has dropped while I was gone - only two species at Clear Pond (Conway, SC) the other day, but pretty ones: Enallagma concisum, Cherry Bluet 54 Enallagma doubledayi, Atlantic Bluet 8 And I'd be happy to trade some extra Comet Darners for a Eastern Ringtail or two, but failing that, I'll enjoy the skimmers for a while. Chris On Jul 3, 2010, at 4:37 PM, Lois Stacey wrote: > I've been tied up with projects and commitments for the last 2 months > so since I finally got a free weekend, and with wonderful weather, I'm > taking advantage of it. I went to Phinizy Swamp Nature Park in > Augusta, > GA yesterday evening and while most of what was flying was the > expected > skimmers and Orange Bluets, I did have a Blackwater Bluet, only the > second time I've found them and in the same spot both times. > > Today I went to Keg Creek WMA in Columbia County, GA. There was not > much along the wooded trail so I went to the fishing area. There > were a > lot of skimmers here as well including lots of Widow Skimmer males > chasing each other everywhere. The highlight though was a VERY > cooperative Red-veined Pennant that sat in one spot allowing me > pictures > from various angles and distances for 15 minutes or more, and was > still > sitting in the same spot when I finally left the area. > > I will hopefully find more good stuff the rest of the weekend! Hope > everyone is having a safe and buggy weekend! > > -- > Lois Stacey > North Augusta, SC (Aiken Cnty) > www.augustaaikenaudubon.org > Find Augusta-Aiken Audubon on Facebook > > > ************************************************************************ Christopher E. Hill Biology Department Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC 29528-1954 chill AT coastal.edu http://ww2.coastal.edu/chill/chill.htm To stay young requires unceasing cultivation of the ability to unlearn old falsehoods. --Robert A. Heinlein ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/se-odonata/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/se-odonata/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: se-odonata-digest AT yahoogroups.com se-odonata-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: se-odonata-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Georgia odes From: Lois Stacey <croakie AT comcast.net> Date: Sat, 03 Jul 2010 16:37:37 -0400 I've been tied up with projects and commitments for the last 2 months so since I finally got a free weekend, and with wonderful weather, I'm taking advantage of it. I went to Phinizy Swamp Nature Park in Augusta, GA yesterday evening and while most of what was flying was the expected skimmers and Orange Bluets, I did have a Blackwater Bluet, only the second time I've found them and in the same spot both times. Today I went to Keg Creek WMA in Columbia County, GA. There was not much along the wooded trail so I went to the fishing area. There were a lot of skimmers here as well including lots of Widow Skimmer males chasing each other everywhere. The highlight though was a VERY cooperative Red-veined Pennant that sat in one spot allowing me pictures from various angles and distances for 15 minutes or more, and was still sitting in the same spot when I finally left the area. I will hopefully find more good stuff the rest of the weekend! Hope everyone is having a safe and buggy weekend! -- Lois Stacey North Augusta, SC (Aiken Cnty) www.augustaaikenaudubon.org Find Augusta-Aiken Audubon on Facebook Subject: Two-Striped Forceptail (Aphylla williamsoni) in Tennessee From: Rconnorsphoto AT aol.com Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 11:23:04 EDT July 2, 2010 Chickasaw State Park, Hardeman County TN I got a new bug yesterday and quite a handsome bug at that! I don't believe Two-striped Forceptail (Aphylla williamsoni) has been recorded in Tennessee before. I believe I recall that David Trently of Knoxville found one north of Atlanta, and Giff B or someone commenting that was the northernmost they knew of it in the state of Georgia. Giff in his book does mention an apparent range expansion of A. williamsoni into the Piedmont. Maybe its making a big push north. This TN bug was seen at a state park lake, in south-west part of the state, just one male seen, in same area were several Flag-tailed Spinyleg (Dromogomphus spoliatus) males. I made no capture attempt, I didn't think I would be successful, and I would like others to possibly see it. If they do expand north into TN and others are seen, there will be other opportunities for capturing voucher specimen. See photos here: _http://www.pbase.com/rconnorsnaturephoto/image/126185031_ (http://www.pbase.com/rconnorsnaturephoto/image/126185031) _http://www.pbase.com/rconnorsnaturephoto/image/126185030_ (http://www.pbase.com/rconnorsnaturephoto/image/126185030) Also new for me from west TN - Common Sanddragon (Progomphus obscurus). It's not common around me here in middle TN as there is not much surface sand in the soil, so it was a treat to finally see this one, and it also is quite a handsome bug. _http://www.pbase.com/rconnorsnaturephoto/image/126185033_ (http://www.pbase.com/rconnorsnaturephoto/image/126185033) Richard Connors Nashville TN Subject: Upper Falls Lake, Durham County, NC From: "birdranger" <cbockhahn4 AT earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2010 18:29:38 -0400 I paddled the Eno and Knapp of Reeds Creek today in Durham County, upper Falls Lake. Decent diversity, serious numbers! 730am-230, 16 miles. Dragons: Green Darner 3 Fawn Darner 1 Swamp Darner dozens Black-shouldered Spinyleg 11 Eastern Ringtail 2 FOY Dragonhunter 1 Common Sanddragon 2 Brown Spiketail 1 Georgia River Cruiser 1 Prince Baskettail dozens Mocha Emerald 3 Shadowdragon sp 2 Eastern Pondhawk 100s Slaty Skimmer 100s Bar-winged Skimmer dozens Great Blue Skimmer 8 Common Whitetail dozens Blue Dasher 1000s Widow Skimmer dozens Blue-faced Meadowhawk 1 FOY Black Saddlebags 2 Carolina Saddlebags 1 Damsels: Turqouise Bluet dozens Atlantic Bluet 3 Burgundy Bluet several I think, new to park Fragile Forktail thousands or maybe millions! Brian Bockhahn Falls Lake State Park Ranger Falls & Kerr Lake CBC Compiler cbockhahn4 AT earthlink.net Subject: dusk darner swarm From: "SL Brown" <ictinia AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:03:31 -0400 I just watched a very active swarm of about a dozen large darners . . . presumably Swamp Darners, according to the size & flight style. That is the most common large darner around my clearing in the woods, adjacent to a tupelo-gum swamp. I was in awe watching them all, zipping about so fast in only about 1/2 acre of clearing - catching and eating - investigating anything that moved - flying every which way, yet not even coming close to mid-air collisions - with their relatively primitive insect brains and nervous systems directing it all flawlessly. It was truly awesome! And humbling. And made me glad I was not a small flying insect! Sharon L. Brown http://SLBrownPhoto.com --------------------------------------------------------------- "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more." John Burroughs Subject: architecture of wings From: "Beverly Pearce" <beverlypearce11 AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:22:13 -0000 Dear all, A word of introduction; I am a photographer living in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and am working on a new series on insects with interesting wing structures – such as dragonflies, damselflies, cicadas, etc. It has been accepted on Kickstarter.com, a new grassroots, micro-finance project forum. Backers get archival prints (or books, or canvas dragonfly shopping bags); project creators get support and connections to like-minded people. If you set up a Kickstarter project yourself, please let me know; I'd love to see other odonata enthusiasts are doing as well! Please visit, and support if you're inclined:http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1821350237/architecture-of-\ wings thanks,Beverly Pearce bp AT beverlypearce.comhttp://beverlypearce.com/pages/portfoliodragonflies.\ html Subject: Re: Not se exactly From: fregettat AT verizon.net Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 17:21:41 -0500 (CDT) Thanks to all that responded. I still do not know what it was, but got some valid pointers. Ken Allen Tampa, FL Subject: some West Virginia odes From: "gljeinwv AT juno.com" <gljeinwv@juno.com> Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 21:16:22 GMT Before getting rained out this afternoon, I spent about an hour and a half checking a couple of ponds in the Upper Decker's Creek section of Preston County. Nothing to write home about, although Chalk-fronted Corporal was the first I had seen there. List is below. Gary Felton - Kingwwood, WV Common Green Darner Unicorn Clubtail Prince Baskeettail Calico Pennant Halloween Pennant Eastern Pondhawk Dot-tailed Whiteface Chalk-fronted Corporal Spangled Skimmer Widow Skimmer Twelve-spotted Skimmer Common Whitetail Blue Dasher Eastern Amberwing Black Saddlebags Aurora Damsel Double-striped Bluet Familiar Bluet Eastern Forktail ____________________________________________________________ Refinance Now 4.0% FIXED! $160,000 Mortgage for $633/mo. Free. No Obligation. Get 4 Quotes! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4c27bfff504c75485dcst04vuc Subject: Re: Monongahela National Forest odes From: birdcr AT concentric.net Date: Sat, 26 Jun 2010 17:45:44 -0400 Correction to this posting. The Eastern Least Clubtails were in fact Southern Pigmy Clubtails. The photos are up on my blog at www.rlephoto.blogspot.com any suggestions on the meadowhawks and what I thing might have been Hagen's Bluets? Cheers, Randy Emmitt Subject: Not se exactly [1 Attachment] From: fregettat AT verizon.net Date: Sat, 26 Jun 2010 01:11:09 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Monogalela National Forest odes From: birdcr AT concentric.net Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:25:18 -0400 Folks, We spent this past Monday and Tuesday at Monogalela NF mostly around Spruce Knob Lake and Gandy Creek looking for odes and butterflies. Lots of butterflies including hundreds of Pinkedged Sulphurs, Atlantis Fritillaries and Pecks Skippers. Four sites produced Gray Commas too! I will be doing several posts on my blog. Here is the list for Randolph County. Common Green Darner, Anax junius 4 Unicorn Clubtail, Arigomphus villosipes 16 Lancet Clubtail, Gomphus exilis 6 Eastern least Clubtail, Stylogomphus albistylus 15 Brown Spiketail, Cordulegaster bilineata 4 Stream Cruiser, Didymops transversa 1 Macromia spp 3 large with bright green eyes, no net Common Baskettail, Epitheca cynosura 20 Prince Baskettail, Epitheca princeps 25 most I have ever seen. Somatochlora spp 6 just larger that Common Baskettail with bright green eyes Calico Pennant, Celithemis elisa 150 most I have ever seen. Dot-tailed Whiteface, Leucorrhinia intacta 6 new for me in WV Bar-winged Skimmer, Libellula axilena 2 new for me in WV Chalk-fronted Corporal, Ladona julia 12 Widow Skimmer, Libellula luctuosa 2 Common Whitetail, Libellula lydia 24 Twelve-spotted Skimmer, Libellula pulchella 40 more that I have ever seen in one place! Painted Skimmer, Libellula semifasciata 1 new for me in WV Blue Dasher, Pachydiplax longipennis 25 Sympetrum spp males and females all teneral, likely Ruby Meadowhawk. 5 Superb Jewelwing, Calopteryx amata 16 Ebony Jewelwing, Calopteryx maculata 45 Variable Dancer, Argia fumipennis 20 Aurora Damsel, Chromagrion conditum 5 Hagen's Bluet, Enallagma hageni 24 Fragile Forktail, Ischnura posita 20 Eastern Forktail, Ischnura verticalis 30 Cheers, Randy Emmitt www.rlephoto.blogspot.com Subject: Odes seen at PeeDee NWR, Anson County, NC From: "Jules Fraytet" <jlfray AT ix.netcom.com> Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:49:11 -0400 6/25/2010 Blue Dasher Slaty Skimmer Common Whitetail M/F Black Saddlebags Widow Skimmer M/F Twelve Spotted Skimmer Eastern Pond Hawk M/F Halloween Pennant Banded Pennant Powdered Dancer Immature male Subject: Re: Location, Location, Location . . . From: "SL Brown" <ictinia AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 09:26:26 -0400 Thank you for your post, Vincent - you're not the only one who doesn't recognize local names. Please include the state, y'all! Sharon L. Brown http://SLBrownPhoto.com --------------------------------------------------------------- "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more." John Burroughs Subject: Comet Darner - GA mountains, also AL & FL reports From: VLDELOACH AT aol.com Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 08:59:06 EDT GA MOUNTAINS: I saw a lifer Comet Darner earlier this week at a pond in Towns Co. GA. What a jaw-dropping dragonflyl!!! That red tail is amazing in real life. I've been to this pond many times so was totally surprised when this guy patrolled by. I also saw lifer Little Blue Dragonlets on a Florida trip - see below. The pond was swarming with dragonflies but nothing else was unusual. This is a great location for Halloween Pennants but they weren't flying: Common Green Darner (Anax junius) Comet Darner (Anax longipes) Lancet Clubtail (Gomphus exilis) Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa) Banded Pennant (Celithemis fasciata) Swift Setwing (Dythemis velox) Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) Spangled Skimmer (Libellula cyanea) Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia) Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera) Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata) Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina) SANDESTIN, FLORIDA: On a trip to Sandestin, Florida this month the highlights were the Little Blue Dragonlets and of course the colorful skimmers: Orange Bluet (Enallagma signatum) Rambur's Forktail (Ischnura ramburii) Little Blue Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax minuscula) Needham's Skimmer (Libellula needhami) Golden-winged Skimmer (Libellula auripennis) Yellow-sided Skimmer (Libellula flavida) Four-spotted Pennant (Brachymesia gravida) Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina) Red Saddlebags - possibly - hope Dennis can take a look: We saw the dragonlets at a park along the coast and passed 2 other ponds before finding them in a more remote gator pond. Don't know why I haven't seen these before in Destin or S. Florida but I'm guessing they're scarce. I've never seen Seaside Dragonlets in the panhandle either. Skimmers were numerous - in one location I had 5 Needham's hanging in front of me in a bush. I only saw one Halloween Pennant in Florida. ALABAMA: We stopped briefly in Alabama at Lake Eufaula and Dothan Bot Gardens. At the Bot Gardens I was excited to see a large dragonfly in the woods landing in a dried-up seep. Turned out to be a Great Blue Skimmer. They seem to be having a good year everywhere. There's a marsh hidden in the woods here that's worth checking out. Not much in the way of butterflies yet in their flower gardens. At Lake Eufaula/Lakepoint Resort, Halloween and Four-spotted Pennants were hanging like ornaments in the weeds by the marina. There's a cedar tree here that's full of large mayflies and mosquitoes are sometimes swarming. Vicki DeLoach Woodstock, GA _http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickisnature/_ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickisnature/) Subject: Re: Location, Location, Location . . . From: June Tveekrem <damselfly AT southernspreadwing.com> Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:12:04 -0400 Thank you, Vincent. It seems that periodically everyone on the list needs to be reminded to please include your location in your signature on every message you post. No need to be super-specific, but it is nice to know what state you're talking about. Or in the case of Virginia, what Commonwealth. :-) By the way, I wouldn't assume most people are from North Carolina. I've been on this list for years and have seen posts from just about every state in the southeast and mid-atlantic. June -- June Tveekrem Columbia, MD, U.S. damselfly|AT|southernspreadwing.com http://SouthernSpreadwing.com On 6/23/2010 9:49 PM, Vincent P Lucas wrote: > So many posters do not tell those of us not in the know, where i.e. > what state they are referring to in their posts. I gather most are > from North carolina but I live in Florida and I'm sorry, but I don't > know every county or river on the East Coast south of Maryland. Just > my two-cents worth. Thanks. > > Vincent Lucas > Naples, FL > _,___ Subject: Location, Location, Location . . . From: Vincent P Lucas <vplucas AT comcast.net> Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:49:39 -0400 So many posters do not tell those of us not in the know, where i.e. what state they are referring to in their posts. I gather most are from North carolina but I live in Florida and I'm sorry, but I don't know every county or river on the East Coast south of Maryland. Just my two-cents worth. Thanks. Vincent Lucas Naples, FL Subject: Prairie Ridge, Wake County, June 24 From: "kkturtledude" <kkturtledude AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:21:47 -0000 Hey everyone, Today I volunteered at Prairie Ridge. While there, I kept a list of the dragonflies and damselflies that I saw. Had a pretty decent day. Highlight on the dragon side was finally catching a Comet Darner, allowing me to get fantastic shots with my camera. Highlight on the damsel side was the Stream Bluet, which was new for the Prairie Ridge checklist. Below is a list of everything I saw today. Dragonflies: Common Green Darner 1 Comet Darner 3 Halloween Pennant 2 Pennant sp. 1 Slaty Skimmer Bar-winged Skimmer 1 Common Whitetail Twelve-spotted Skimmer 1 Widow Skimmer Eastern Pondhawk Blue Dasher Eastern Amberwing Carolina Saddlebags Black Saddlebags Damselflies: Southern Spreadwing 1 Ebony Jewelwing Familiar Bluet Atlantic Bluet Azure Bluet Stream Bluet 1 - new for PR checklist Fragile Forktail Kyle Kittelberger Raleigh, NC www.flickr.com/photos/hawk-eagle/ Subject: Shadowdragon hunting at Falls Dam From: "kkturtledude" <kkturtledude AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:16:40 -0000 Hey everybody, Yesterday evening Matt Daw and myself met and explored the Falls Dam area. There were many Powdered Dancers flying around, and I was able to get a nice shot of an American Rubyspot. However, the real highlight was shadowdragon hunting. Even though there was 10 or so Shadowdragons flying around, we were only able to catch two. One of them was a Smoky Shadowdragon, and Matt and myself were able to get nice photographs of this individual. The other was most likely a Smoky, but I am not 100% sure; still waiting Matt's word on this one. Hope to head back out again sometime next week. Below is a list of the dragonflies and damselflies that I can remember Matt and myself seeing yesterday. Dragonflies: Georgia River Cruiser Prince Baskettail Emerald sp.? Smoky Shadowdragon Slaty Skimmer Common Whitetail Widow Skimmer Blue Dasher Black Saddlebags Damselflies: Ebony Jewelwing American Rubyspot Blue-tipped Dancer Blue-ringed Dancer Blue-fronted Dancer Powdered Dancer Stream Bluet Kyle Kittelberger Raleigh, NC www.flickr.com/photos/hawk-eagle/ Subject: large dragon aggregation report from Butner Gamelands From: Joshua Stuart Rose <opihi AT mindspring.com> Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:53:53 -0400 (GMT-04:00) Howdy folks, I am a long way from the Carolinas right now, but a friend down there, trailblazer Dean Kanipe, reported this to me via FaceBook: "Tell your crew that's left down here to go to Brickhouse Road north of Falls Lake at dusk. There are literally tens of thousands of some kind of ginormous dragonfly species hawking. Ground level to treetops. Just head towards the Wildlife Depot on Brickhouse off of Old Oxford. Right after it turns to dirt, you will be driving in the swarms." I am guessing that he is seeing darners, mostly Anax junius. But if anyone happens to be near the Butner Gamelands and wants to check this out, I'm curious... Have fun, Josh Joshua Stuart Rose opihi AT mindspring.com Amherst MA http://www.facebook.com/opihi http://bugguide.net/user/view/2399 Subject: Great day at Falls Lake, Smoky Shadowdragons. From: Matthew Daw <birdboymatt AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:53:18 -0700 (PDT) Hi all,    Last night, Kyle Kittleburger, Ali Iyoob and myself went shadowdragon hunting again on the Neuse River just below Falls Dam--we sighted about 15 individuals and netted 2, both of which turned out to be Smoky Shadowdragons, which were the 2nd and third records for the county, the first being the one we found on Tuesday evening. We collected them both      Today, Kyle Kittleburger and I explored a section of Falls Lake by Kyle's house and had a great number of good species, including a new confirmed Falls Lake record, Slender Bluet. other highlights include 2 Cyrano Darners, a freshly emerged Mocha Emerald, Eastern Forktail, Azure Bluet and Turquoise Bluet.Here's the list from today and last night Dragonflies:CYRANO DARNER--2Swamp Darner--1Black-shouldered Spinyleg--2Lancet/Ashy Clubtail--1 seen briefly by KyleCommon Sanddragon--8Georgia River CruiserPrince Baskettail--10SMOKY SHADOWDRAGON--2 last night, both collectedShadowdragon sp.--15, probably alot of umber in the mixMocha Emerald--1 freshly emerged and perched cooperatively, FOYHalloween Pennant--2Eastern Pondhawk--20Spangled Skimmer--3Slaty Skimmer--35Great Blue Skimmer--15Widow Skimmer--15Common Whitetail--12Blue Dasher--30Swift Setwing--3, FOYSpot-winged Glider--3, yesterdayWandering Glider--1, yesterdayEastern Amberwing--15 Damselflies:Ebony Jewelwing--35American Rubyspot--1 only yesterdayVariable Dancer--8Powdered Dancer--30, yesterdayBlue-fronted Dancer--10Blue-ringed Dancer--5Blue-tipped Dancer--50Dusky Dancer--2Azure Bluet--1, one of the first Falls Lake recordsTurquoise Bluet--4, very local species on Falls Lake and lifer for meSLENDER BLUET--2 mating, first confirmed Falls Lake record!!Orange Bluet--1 male very cooperativeFragile Forktail--30Citrine Forktail--15, many color formsEastern Forktail--3, local on this part of Falls Lake http://www.flickr.com/photos/36582974 AT N03/ Matthew DawRaleigh, NC Subject: 2 Shadowdragon sp., Raleigh, NC From: Matthew Daw <birdboymatt AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:29:03 -0700 (PDT) Hi all,   Ali Iyoob and I met twice to try and net Shadowdragons the last three days. Sunday night was a bust, as we sighted about 10 individuals, but couldn't net any. Tonight, however, was a great success, and we netted a total of 3 individuals on the Neuse River about 1/2 mile below Falls Dam. The first two we netted were Umber Shadowdragons, and the third one was a probable Cinnamon Shadowdragon--I'm not confident in ruling out Smoky, so please take a look at the pics on the attached flickr sites for ID. Altogether tonight, there were about 15 shadowdragons, and we probably would have caught more if we weren't trying so hard to get good pics. Please give me some feedback on your shadowdragon experience, as I'm very interested in this genus and hope to get out to the river again to potentially find another species.   Also today, I had a beautiful Cobra Clubtail obelisking on the Neuse, it fought regularly with about 8 Common Sanddragons that were in the area.Enjoy!! my flickr--http://www.flickr.com/photos/36582974 AT N03/ and Ali Iyoob's flickr--http://www.flickr.com/photos/longspur/ Matthew DawRaleigh, NC Subject: Re: Shadowdragons, etc. Falls dam, NC From: Harry LeGrand <harrylegrand AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:57:50 -0700 (PDT) I don't see Fawn Darner mentioned. It flies near dusk, over water, at this time of year, but I guess mostly along smaller and more wooded streams. But, I just want to make sure that this species has been eliminated from consideration -- as around twilight, it would likely be difficult to really see good field marks of a darner vs. a Shadowdragon. Harry LeGrand Raleigh, NC --- On Sat, 6/12/10, Matthew Daw wrote: From: Matthew Daw Subject: [se-odonata] Shadowdragons, etc. Falls dam, NC To: se-odonata AT yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, June 12, 2010, 10:50 PM   Hi all,   I went looking for shadowdragons this evening along the Neuse River about a half mile below Falls Dam, Raleigh. I bided my time poking around for a couple of hours before dusk, but the weather was foul, so i didn't find much interesting. I stationed myself right next to a ripply spot on the river at 8, and saw my first shadowdragon at 817. It was patrolling right above the surface of the water (2-8in) and had a very fast flight, which was quite direct. the peak of activity in this small spot was around 835, when I had at least 20 shadowdragons in view at once. Multiply this by other similar habitat in a mile of river, and you have (theoretically) hundreds of shadowdragons flying around. At around, 845, it was too dark to see anymore, so I went home (although I ended up on the wrong side of the river without a flashlight and a mile walk through the dark woods to the nearest road).   During my observation, I waded across the river to the other side, where they were concentrated, but the lighting made it so the dragons were invisible from that angle. I am not sure whether the shadowdragons were of the Umber or Cinnamon variety, but I think that I will go out again tomorrow night to try and net a couple. I did however snap a couple of pics of flying individuals, but they didn't come out that well--most of the pics were obtained by snapping a couple of frames at a spot where they seemed concentrated, and I would usually end up with a couple of dragons in the photo. They aren't focused that well, but if you think you can Id shadowdragons by color only, please email me, and I'll send you some pics.    I have include a  list of dragons and damsels seen both this evening and yesterday afternoon at the river--sorry for the long post!! Dragons:Black-shouldered Spinyleg--4Ashy Clubtail--1Lancet Clubtail--1Cobra Clubtail--1 beautiful and photographic male, the third record for Falls Lake if i'm not mistakenDragonhunter- -1 FOY Common Sanddragon-- 12, quite common around right about nowGeorgia River Cruiser--2Prince Baskettail-- 6, including one right before i sighted the shadowdragonsShadowdragon sp.--20+ probably umberEastern PondhawkSlaty SkimmerCommon WhitetailBlue DasherWidow SkimmerBlack SaddlebagsCarolina Saddlebags Damsels:Ebony Jewelwing--10American Rubyspot--25Variable Dancer--10Powdered Dancer--100Blue-fronted Dancer--60Blue-ringed Dancer--50BLue-tipped Dancer--30Dusky Dancer--25Stream Bluet--40Fragile Forktail--2 http://www.flickr. com/photos/ 36582974 AT N03/ Matthew DawRaleigh, NC Subject: Re: Shadowdragons, etc. Falls dam, NC From: Harry LeGrand <harrylegrand AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:57:50 -0700 (PDT) I don't see Fawn Darner mentioned. It flies near dusk, over water, at this time of year, but I guess mostly along smaller and more wooded streams. But, I just want to make sure that this species has been eliminated from consideration -- as around twilight, it would likely be difficult to really see good field marks of a darner vs. a Shadowdragon. Harry LeGrand Raleigh, NC --- On Sat, 6/12/10, Matthew Daw wrote: From: Matthew Daw Subject: [se-odonata] Shadowdragons, etc. Falls dam, NC To: se-odonata AT yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, June 12, 2010, 10:50 PM   Hi all,   I went looking for shadowdragons this evening along the Neuse River about a half mile below Falls Dam, Raleigh. I bided my time poking around for a couple of hours before dusk, but the weather was foul, so i didn't find much interesting. I stationed myself right next to a ripply spot on the river at 8, and saw my first shadowdragon at 817. It was patrolling right above the surface of the water (2-8in) and had a very fast flight, which was quite direct. the peak of activity in this small spot was around 835, when I had at least 20 shadowdragons in view at once. Multiply this by other similar habitat in a mile of river, and you have (theoretically) hundreds of shadowdragons flying around. At around, 845, it was too dark to see anymore, so I went home (although I ended up on the wrong side of the river without a flashlight and a mile walk through the dark woods to the nearest road).   During my observation, I waded across the river to the other side, where they were concentrated, but the lighting made it so the dragons were invisible from that angle. I am not sure whether the shadowdragons were of the Umber or Cinnamon variety, but I think that I will go out again tomorrow night to try and net a couple. I did however snap a couple of pics of flying individuals, but they didn't come out that well--most of the pics were obtained by snapping a couple of frames at a spot where they seemed concentrated, and I would usually end up with a couple of dragons in the photo. They aren't focused that well, but if you think you can Id shadowdragons by color only, please email me, and I'll send you some pics.    I have include a  list of dragons and damsels seen both this evening and yesterday afternoon at the river--sorry for the long post!! Dragons:Black-shouldered Spinyleg--4Ashy Clubtail--1Lancet Clubtail--1Cobra Clubtail--1 beautiful and photographic male, the third record for Falls Lake if i'm not mistakenDragonhunter- -1 FOY Common Sanddragon-- 12, quite common around right about nowGeorgia River Cruiser--2Prince Baskettail-- 6, including one right before i sighted the shadowdragonsShadowdragon sp.--20+ probably umberEastern PondhawkSlaty SkimmerCommon WhitetailBlue DasherWidow SkimmerBlack SaddlebagsCarolina Saddlebags Damsels:Ebony Jewelwing--10American Rubyspot--25Variable Dancer--10Powdered Dancer--100Blue-fronted Dancer--60Blue-ringed Dancer--50BLue-tipped Dancer--30Dusky Dancer--25Stream Bluet--40Fragile Forktail--2 http://www.flickr. com/photos/ 36582974 AT N03/ Matthew DawRaleigh, NC