My interest in odonates, that is, dragonflies and damselflies, began during Summer 2011 at Huntley Meadows Park. Toward the end of Summer 2012 and continuing in 2013, my goal was to explore new venues for hunting odonates. Along the way, I spotted several species of odonates that are either uncommon or unknown to occur at Huntley Meadows, including Blue Corporal dragonfly, Stream Cruiser dragonfly, and Rambur’s Forktail damselfly, to name a few.
During 2014, continuing in 2015, I have been a man on a mission to explore the relatively unexplored areas at Huntley Meadows Park in search of habitat-specific odonates unlikely to be found in the central wetland area of the park. In retrospect, 2014-2015 has been a good run: five new species of odonates were discovered and added to the list of Dragonflies and Damselflies of Huntley Meadows Park.
Common Sanddragon dragonfly
20 June 2014
Mike Powell and I collaborated to identify a clubtail dragonfly that Mike spotted on 17 June 2014. As it turns out, Mike had discovered a Common Sanddragon (Progomphus obscurus), a new species of dragonfly for Huntley Meadows Park. Mike guided me to the same spot on 20 June, where we photographed several sanddragons (like the male shown above), including two mating pairs!
Arrowhead Spiketail dragonfly
07 July 2014
I feel fortunate to have discovered an Arrowhead Spiketail dragonfly (Cordulegaster obliqua) — many experienced odonate hunters go years without seeing one of these handsome dragonflies!
Great Spreadwing damselfly
09 October 2014
Although I may not be the first ode-hunter to spot a Great Spreadwing damselfly (Archilestes grandis) at Huntley Meadows Park, I am the first person to notify the park manager of its occurrence. As a result, Great Spreadwing was added to the Friends of Huntley Meadows Park Odonata species list.
Southern Spreadwing damselfly/Sweetflag Spreadwing damselfly
23 May 2014
Time will tell which new species of spreadwing damselfly I discovered at Huntley Meadows Park. Either way, both Southern Spreadwing damselfly (Lestes australis) and Sweetflag Spreadwing damselfly (Lestes forcipatus) were formerly unknown to occur at the park.
Springtime Darner dragonfly
18 April 2015 | Photograph used with permission from Michael Powell.
Mike Powell and I co-discovered the first Springtime Darner (Basiaeschna janata) ever seen/photographed at Huntley Meadows Park! This individual is a female, as indicated by its coloration and terminal appendages.
Related Resources:
- Common Sanddragon dragonfly
- Arrowhead Spiketail dragonfly
- Great Spreadwing damselfly
- Southern Spreadwing damselfly/Sweetflag Spreadwing damselfly
- Springtime Darner dragonfly
Copyright © 2015 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Archilestes grandis, Arrowhead Spiketail dragonfly, Basiaeschna janata, Common Sanddragon dragonfly, Cordulegaster obliqua, discovery, female, Great Spreadwing damselfly, Huntley Meadows Park, Lestes australis, Lestes forcipatus, Progomphus obscurus, retrospective, Southern Spreadwing damselfly, Springtime Darner dragonfly, Sweetflag Spreadwing damselfly, wildlife photography
April 21, 2015 at 6:36 am |
Reblogged this on Mike Powell and commented:
Fellow blogger and photographer, Walter Sanford, has an infectious passion for dragonflies and damselflies and has encouraged and inspired me to search for them in remote areas of my favorite marshland park. In today’s posting on his blog, he chronicles the new species that he has discovered and photographed in the park during the past two years. Individually and sometimes together, we are seeking to discover even more new species. I encourage you to check out his blog to learn more about odonates and see some amazing images of these little beauties.