How is odes season going?
Jun. 5th, 2020 09:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
which_chickOdes season is pretty well underway. We have the early species out and about and I'm starting to see a few of the mid-season stuff happening. It was a really cool spring so things got a slow start.
Early season we had Lancet Clubtails and Dusky Clubtails. Then we had some Common Baskettails. Now there are Chalk-fronted corporals. (Also some bluets and Eastern Forktails. And variable dancer, I'm pretty sure. It takes a while for colors to show up on bluets and dancers -- they start out kind of a dull greyish mutt-color.) And I picked up a spangled skimmer on Wednesday after work, first of the Libellula (king skimmers) to make it out this year.
As a group, king skimmers perch a lot and have very predictable, easy-to-follow flight. If the number-one dragonfly that people (in the US) know is the Common Green Darner, the number-two dragonfly that people recognize is probably a king skimmer that lives in their area.
Here's the Common Green Darner. Big. Green and blue. Found from sea to shining sea and from the Mexican border to the Canadian one. It's the one dragonfly most everybody knows. Also, note that I do not have small hands. This is a LARGE flying insect.
Some examples of king skimmers found at my particular locale (shots not from this year), starting with the EASIEST TO SEE.
1. Twelve-spotted (Very visible, lake species)
2. Widow (pretty visible, lake species)
3. Slaty (Not bright but pretty good-sized, lake species)
4. Spangled (white dots on wings highly visible, lake species, but not big)
5. Great Blue (Big with high-viz color, but not a lake species)
6. Bar-winged (Big, but duller color, not a lake species)
They're not out yet, not in a big way, but if we keep having 80-degree days, it won't be long. I'm kind of excited for King Skimmer season.
Early season we had Lancet Clubtails and Dusky Clubtails. Then we had some Common Baskettails. Now there are Chalk-fronted corporals. (Also some bluets and Eastern Forktails. And variable dancer, I'm pretty sure. It takes a while for colors to show up on bluets and dancers -- they start out kind of a dull greyish mutt-color.) And I picked up a spangled skimmer on Wednesday after work, first of the Libellula (king skimmers) to make it out this year.
As a group, king skimmers perch a lot and have very predictable, easy-to-follow flight. If the number-one dragonfly that people (in the US) know is the Common Green Darner, the number-two dragonfly that people recognize is probably a king skimmer that lives in their area.
Here's the Common Green Darner. Big. Green and blue. Found from sea to shining sea and from the Mexican border to the Canadian one. It's the one dragonfly most everybody knows. Also, note that I do not have small hands. This is a LARGE flying insect.
Some examples of king skimmers found at my particular locale (shots not from this year), starting with the EASIEST TO SEE.
1. Twelve-spotted (Very visible, lake species)
2. Widow (pretty visible, lake species)
3. Slaty (Not bright but pretty good-sized, lake species)
4. Spangled (white dots on wings highly visible, lake species, but not big)
5. Great Blue (Big with high-viz color, but not a lake species)
6. Bar-winged (Big, but duller color, not a lake species)
They're not out yet, not in a big way, but if we keep having 80-degree days, it won't be long. I'm kind of excited for King Skimmer season.
