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Dec. 27th, 2018 07:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
which_chickSheesh, I hit enter and it posted. Oops. More about dragonflies, folks, in a nerd science sort of way.
The stuff I haven't found that I am SUPPOSED to be able to find is as follows, asterisks in front of the ones I think we have but I haven't got a good ID photo for, exclamation points for ones with a valid recent OC record (not just dot map) in the target county or surrounding four.:
Amphiagrion saucium, Eastern Red Damsel
!Argia apicalis, Blue-fronted Dancer
Argia translata, Dusky Dancer
Arigomphus villosipes, Unicorn Clubtail
Boyeria grafiana, Ocellated Darner
!*Cordulegaster bilineata, Brown Spiketail I found my pix of this.
!Enallagma aspersum, Azure Bluet
Enallagma civile, Familiar Bluet
Enallagma divagans, Turquoise Bluet
Enallagma exsulans, Stream Bluet
Enallagma hageni, Hagen’s Bluet
Epiaeschna heros, Swamp Darner
*Epitheca canis, Beaverpond Baskettail (I have some kind of baskettail)
*Epitheca cynosura, Common Baskettail
Hetaerina americana, American Rubyspot
Ischnura posita, Fragile Forktail
Lestes rectangularis, Slender Spreadwing
Leucorrhinia intacta, Dot-tailed Whiteface
Macromia illinoiensis, Swift River Cruiser
*Phanogomphus exilis, Lancet Clubtail (I have some kind of clubtail)
*Phanogomphus lividus, Ashy Clubtail
*Sympetrum rubicundulum, Ruby Meadowhawk (id'ing sympetrum species is challenging)
!Sympetrum semicinctum, Band-winged Meadowhawk
Tachopteryx thoreyi, Gray Petaltail
These are the things that OC thinks are in my county that I haven't found yet. While I've discussed elsewhere how much I think their list lacks... possibilities, this is the official list of things to look for. So, I need to look for them.
It is most helpful, when looking for things, to look where the things might be found. Yes, looking for your car keys under the streetlight because "the light is better" makes looking easier but looking where the car keys might actually BE is going to to a lot further towards finding them... even if the light is crappy there.
For odonates (a word that means "dragonflies and damselflies, the order odonata, that group of predatory water-adjacent flying insects characterized by four wings and a long slender-ish body and huge eyeballs and so forth") there are two things that are helpful in the finding. First, flight season. If they're an early summer species and you're looking for 'em in August... no joy for you. Second, the sort of water they prefer to be adjacent to. Some like ponds, some lakes, some big rivers, some shady creeks, some it matters not much what sort of pond but it needs VEGETATION of a specific kind, etc. Odes have habitat preferences as well as seasonality.
So, best to look at the right time and in the right place. Gotcha. So in the interests of being prepared (and in the interests of skiving off work a bit today in the dead zone between xmas and new year's when people don't really rent or look for apartments), what are the right times and right places for the species (above) that I have thus far failed to find?
Like if I was a stalker, what would I need to know? (Much of this information is available at the above-linked OC and also on the somewhat unwieldy but free DragonflyID smartphone app by BirdsEye. Other sources include bugguide.net, inaturalist.org, and wikipedia (yeah, yeah, but it's probably safe because I bet anyone writing paragraphs on a specific Argia species is probably not trolling for lulz but rather someone with a definite and specialized interest in the subject). A surprising amount of help also came from the very detailed Wisconsin Odonata Survey, a source that provided solid and clear species habitat details for several species. Thanks, Wisconsin Odonata Survey! I also found habitat and flight period info for otherwise undiscussed species at Dragonflies of Northern Virginia by Kevin Munroe. Thanks, Kevin! I'm collecting and summarizing the high points from these various sources here for my own convenience and better stalking.)
Amphiagrion saucium, Eastern Red Damsel
WHEN: May, June, and early July.
WHERE: Seeps, spring-fed bogs, ponds, occasionally along smaller rivers. Tends to hide in heavy vegetation.
Argia apicalis, Blue-fronted Dancer
WHEN: Adults are on the wing from mid-summer onwards.
WHERE: a range of habitats including near large and small rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, but most common in the vicinity of large, muddy rivers. Usually found in woodland.
Argia translata, Dusky Dancer
WHEN: June-September in northeastern United States
WHERE: Streams and rivers generally with a lot of exposure to sun and only moderate vegetation.
Arigomphus villosipes, Unicorn Clubtail
WHEN: June & July in Wisconsin. Not super-helpful, but it's what I have.
WHERE: Semi-permanent and artificial ponds, lakes and slow-areas of small streams with muddy bottoms. Commonly rests on wet pond edges, rock and logs, where it can be extremely difficult to approach
Boyeria grafiana, Ocellated Darner
WHEN: July, August
WHERE: prefers moderately-flowing, shaded, rocky forest streams and rivers, and occasionally large lakes with rocky, windswept shorelines
Cordulegaster bilineata, Brown Spiketail
WHEN: April to Mid-June, peaks Mid-May
WHERE: Clean, small sunlit, forest streams & seepages
Enallagma aspersum, Azure Bluet
WHEN: June, July
WHERE: Fishless lakes and semipermanent ponds and bogs
Enallagma civile, Familiar Bluet
WHEN: July, August, September
WHERE: Ephemeral or permanent ponds and lakes. Also slow flowing streams
Enallagma divagans, Turquoise Bluet
WHEN: May, June
WHERE: Shaded sluggish creeks and streams, sloughs or lakes
Enallagma exsulans, Stream Bluet
WHEN: June, July
WHERE: Common along shores of slow moving streams, rivers and occasionally lakes
Enallagma hageni, Hagen’s Bluet
WHEN: June, July
WHERE: ponds and marshes, prefers acidic water
Epiaeschna heros, Swamp Darner
WHEN: April to August, peaking in June
WHERE: Heavily wooded ponds, streams and ox-bows including ephemeral pools
Epitheca canis, Beaverpond Baskettail
WHEN: Peaks in May/June
WHERE: bog ponds, slow streams, and marshy lakes
Note: distinguished from Common Baskettail in that cercus has dog-leg bend near tip
Epitheca cynosura, Common Baskettail
WHEN: June
WHERE: ponds, lakes, marshes, slow streams, and rivers
Hetaerina americana, American Rubyspot
WHEN: August, September
WHERE: Wide, open streams and rivers.
Ischnura posita, Fragile Forktail
WHEN: June, July, August
WHERE: heavily vegetated ponds, marshes and slow moving waters
Lestes rectangularis, Slender Spreadwing
WHEN: July
WHERE: Lakes or ponds with regular shade and dense emergent vegetation
Leucorrhinia intacta, Dot-tailed Whiteface
WHEN: June
WHERE: boggy and marshy ponds and lakes, and beaver ponds.
Macromia illinoiensis, Swift River Cruiser
WHEN: June, July
WHERE: fast streams, large rivers and lakes with moderate wave action
Phanogomphus exilis, Lancet Clubtail
WHEN: June to July
WHERE: gently flowing steams or on lakeshores that are wave-beaten
Phanogomphus lividus, Ashy Clubtail
WHEN: June
WHERE: Sand or mud-bottomed streams and rivers with moderate current; sheltered inlets and bays of lakes
Sympetrum rubicundulum, Ruby Meadowhawk
WHEN: July-August, peaks mid-July
WHERE: Shallow, temporary, marshy pools, often in or adjacent to forest
Sympetrum semicinctum, Band-winged Meadowhawk
WHEN: July
WHERE: on vegetation along the edges of meadows, in weedy ponds, marshes and lakes
Tachopteryx thoreyi, Gray Petaltail
WHEN: June
WHERE: Permanent springs and seep of hardwood forests, perches vertically on trees.
The stuff I haven't found that I am SUPPOSED to be able to find is as follows, asterisks in front of the ones I think we have but I haven't got a good ID photo for, exclamation points for ones with a valid recent OC record (not just dot map) in the target county or surrounding four.:
Amphiagrion saucium, Eastern Red Damsel
!Argia apicalis, Blue-fronted Dancer
Argia translata, Dusky Dancer
Arigomphus villosipes, Unicorn Clubtail
Boyeria grafiana, Ocellated Darner
!Enallagma aspersum, Azure Bluet
Enallagma civile, Familiar Bluet
Enallagma divagans, Turquoise Bluet
Enallagma exsulans, Stream Bluet
Enallagma hageni, Hagen’s Bluet
Epiaeschna heros, Swamp Darner
*Epitheca canis, Beaverpond Baskettail (I have some kind of baskettail)
*Epitheca cynosura, Common Baskettail
Hetaerina americana, American Rubyspot
Ischnura posita, Fragile Forktail
Lestes rectangularis, Slender Spreadwing
Leucorrhinia intacta, Dot-tailed Whiteface
Macromia illinoiensis, Swift River Cruiser
*Phanogomphus exilis, Lancet Clubtail (I have some kind of clubtail)
*Phanogomphus lividus, Ashy Clubtail
*Sympetrum rubicundulum, Ruby Meadowhawk (id'ing sympetrum species is challenging)
!Sympetrum semicinctum, Band-winged Meadowhawk
Tachopteryx thoreyi, Gray Petaltail
These are the things that OC thinks are in my county that I haven't found yet. While I've discussed elsewhere how much I think their list lacks... possibilities, this is the official list of things to look for. So, I need to look for them.
It is most helpful, when looking for things, to look where the things might be found. Yes, looking for your car keys under the streetlight because "the light is better" makes looking easier but looking where the car keys might actually BE is going to to a lot further towards finding them... even if the light is crappy there.
For odonates (a word that means "dragonflies and damselflies, the order odonata, that group of predatory water-adjacent flying insects characterized by four wings and a long slender-ish body and huge eyeballs and so forth") there are two things that are helpful in the finding. First, flight season. If they're an early summer species and you're looking for 'em in August... no joy for you. Second, the sort of water they prefer to be adjacent to. Some like ponds, some lakes, some big rivers, some shady creeks, some it matters not much what sort of pond but it needs VEGETATION of a specific kind, etc. Odes have habitat preferences as well as seasonality.
So, best to look at the right time and in the right place. Gotcha. So in the interests of being prepared (and in the interests of skiving off work a bit today in the dead zone between xmas and new year's when people don't really rent or look for apartments), what are the right times and right places for the species (above) that I have thus far failed to find?
Like if I was a stalker, what would I need to know? (Much of this information is available at the above-linked OC and also on the somewhat unwieldy but free DragonflyID smartphone app by BirdsEye. Other sources include bugguide.net, inaturalist.org, and wikipedia (yeah, yeah, but it's probably safe because I bet anyone writing paragraphs on a specific Argia species is probably not trolling for lulz but rather someone with a definite and specialized interest in the subject). A surprising amount of help also came from the very detailed Wisconsin Odonata Survey, a source that provided solid and clear species habitat details for several species. Thanks, Wisconsin Odonata Survey! I also found habitat and flight period info for otherwise undiscussed species at Dragonflies of Northern Virginia by Kevin Munroe. Thanks, Kevin! I'm collecting and summarizing the high points from these various sources here for my own convenience and better stalking.)
Amphiagrion saucium, Eastern Red Damsel
WHEN: May, June, and early July.
WHERE: Seeps, spring-fed bogs, ponds, occasionally along smaller rivers. Tends to hide in heavy vegetation.
Argia apicalis, Blue-fronted Dancer
WHEN: Adults are on the wing from mid-summer onwards.
WHERE: a range of habitats including near large and small rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, but most common in the vicinity of large, muddy rivers. Usually found in woodland.
Argia translata, Dusky Dancer
WHEN: June-September in northeastern United States
WHERE: Streams and rivers generally with a lot of exposure to sun and only moderate vegetation.
Arigomphus villosipes, Unicorn Clubtail
WHEN: June & July in Wisconsin. Not super-helpful, but it's what I have.
WHERE: Semi-permanent and artificial ponds, lakes and slow-areas of small streams with muddy bottoms. Commonly rests on wet pond edges, rock and logs, where it can be extremely difficult to approach
Boyeria grafiana, Ocellated Darner
WHEN: July, August
WHERE: prefers moderately-flowing, shaded, rocky forest streams and rivers, and occasionally large lakes with rocky, windswept shorelines
Cordulegaster bilineata, Brown Spiketail
WHEN: April to Mid-June, peaks Mid-May
WHERE: Clean, small sunlit, forest streams & seepages
Enallagma aspersum, Azure Bluet
WHEN: June, July
WHERE: Fishless lakes and semipermanent ponds and bogs
Enallagma civile, Familiar Bluet
WHEN: July, August, September
WHERE: Ephemeral or permanent ponds and lakes. Also slow flowing streams
Enallagma divagans, Turquoise Bluet
WHEN: May, June
WHERE: Shaded sluggish creeks and streams, sloughs or lakes
Enallagma exsulans, Stream Bluet
WHEN: June, July
WHERE: Common along shores of slow moving streams, rivers and occasionally lakes
Enallagma hageni, Hagen’s Bluet
WHEN: June, July
WHERE: ponds and marshes, prefers acidic water
Epiaeschna heros, Swamp Darner
WHEN: April to August, peaking in June
WHERE: Heavily wooded ponds, streams and ox-bows including ephemeral pools
Epitheca canis, Beaverpond Baskettail
WHEN: Peaks in May/June
WHERE: bog ponds, slow streams, and marshy lakes
Note: distinguished from Common Baskettail in that cercus has dog-leg bend near tip
Epitheca cynosura, Common Baskettail
WHEN: June
WHERE: ponds, lakes, marshes, slow streams, and rivers
Hetaerina americana, American Rubyspot
WHEN: August, September
WHERE: Wide, open streams and rivers.
Ischnura posita, Fragile Forktail
WHEN: June, July, August
WHERE: heavily vegetated ponds, marshes and slow moving waters
Lestes rectangularis, Slender Spreadwing
WHEN: July
WHERE: Lakes or ponds with regular shade and dense emergent vegetation
Leucorrhinia intacta, Dot-tailed Whiteface
WHEN: June
WHERE: boggy and marshy ponds and lakes, and beaver ponds.
Macromia illinoiensis, Swift River Cruiser
WHEN: June, July
WHERE: fast streams, large rivers and lakes with moderate wave action
Phanogomphus exilis, Lancet Clubtail
WHEN: June to July
WHERE: gently flowing steams or on lakeshores that are wave-beaten
Phanogomphus lividus, Ashy Clubtail
WHEN: June
WHERE: Sand or mud-bottomed streams and rivers with moderate current; sheltered inlets and bays of lakes
Sympetrum rubicundulum, Ruby Meadowhawk
WHEN: July-August, peaks mid-July
WHERE: Shallow, temporary, marshy pools, often in or adjacent to forest
Sympetrum semicinctum, Band-winged Meadowhawk
WHEN: July
WHERE: on vegetation along the edges of meadows, in weedy ponds, marshes and lakes
Tachopteryx thoreyi, Gray Petaltail
WHEN: June
WHERE: Permanent springs and seep of hardwood forests, perches vertically on trees.
