Shadow Darner dragonflies (Aeshna umbrosa)

Those who know me well are familiar with one of many “Walterisms”: “I haven’t ‘seen’ something until I have photographed it.” My rationale is two-fold: 1) A photograph verifies a sighting. 2) The detail visible in a good photograph exceeds the acuity of the human eye.

Although I have spotted Shadow Darner dragonflies (Aeshna umbrosa) in the past, I hadn’t “seen” them until I photographed several of these handsome darners near a vernal pool in the forest at Huntley Meadows Park on 24 October 2014.

This post features photos of two male Shadow Darners (as indicated by their terminal appendages): the first male is shown in Photos 1-2; the second in Photo 3.

Photo 1. Male one.

Swamp Darner dragonflies (Epiaeschna heros) look somewhat similar to Shadow Darners: Swamp Darners are a spring species in the Darner Family; Shadow Darners are a fall species of mosaic darner. Both species seem to prefer the same habitat. All things being equal, Swamp Darners are more numerous than Shadow Darners: I saw LOTS of Swamp Darners during spring; in contrast, I’ve seen only a few Shadow Darners during fall … so far!

Photo 2. Male one.

The following side view of another male Shadow Darner shows its face, the side of its thorax, and its hamules (located beneath S2-3, that is, abdominal segments two and three). Remember that odonate abdominal segments are numbered from front to back.

Photo 3. Male two.

Copyright © 2014 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

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Tags: Aeshna umbrosa, Darner Family, Epiaeschna heros, hamules, Huntley Meadows Park, male, Shadow Darner dragonfly, Swamp Darner dragonfly, terminal appendages, vernal pool, wildlife photography