Archive for July, 2016
July 30, 2016
The Backstory: A cohort of emergent/teneral Slender Spreadwing damselflies (Lestes rectangularis) was discovered during late-May and early-June 2016 at a vernal pool located in Huntley Meadows Park (HMP). I have seen/photographed many female Slender Spreadwings in the past, but only one male. For the next few weeks, I focused upon finding and photographing mostly males from the cohort.
Mating Pair
A mating pair of Slender Spreadwing damselflies was spotted in a meadow located near a vernal pool from which the pair probably emerged. This pair is “in heart.”
All dragonflies and damselflies have a 10-segmented abdomen, numbered from front to back: male damselfly secondary genitalia, called hamules, are located in segments two and three (S2 and S3); female genitalia in segment eight (S8). Damselflies form the mating wheel (also known as the mating heart) in order for their genitalia to connect during copulation.
Therefore, the male is on upper-left; the female is on the lower-right.
The next photo shows the mating pair “in tandem,” immediately after copulation. Editor’s Note: Male (soft focus); female (sharp focus).
The last photo shows the mating pair, separated after being “in tandem.” The pair decoupled soon after the heart was broken. Editor’s Note: Male (sharp focus); female (soft focus).
Editor’s Note: This is Part 1 in a five-part series of blog posts documenting a cohort of Slender Spreadwing damselflies that emerged from a single vernal pool at Huntley Meadows Park, presented in reverse-chronological order from mature, reproducing adults to emergent tenerals.
Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags:adult female, adult male, claspers, Family Lestidae (Spreadwings), hamules, Huntley Meadows Park, in heart, in tandem, Lestes rectangularis, mating pair, Slender Spreadwing damselfly, teneral, terminal appendages, vernal pool, wildlife photography
Posted in Aperture, Canon 580EX Speedlite, damselflies, digital photography, education, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150 | 6 Comments »
July 28, 2016
A Spot-winged Glider dragonfly (Pantala hymenaea) was captured in Fairfax County, Virginia USA. This individual is a female.
An 18″ diameter insect net was used to capture the dragonfly; a small plastic clothespin was used to hold its wings while I shot several photographs of the specimen. The dragonfly was released after a few minutes, unharmed.
I prefer the photos of the specimen posed against a clean background such as the blue sky overhead. Compare/contrast the photos featuring a simple- versus more cluttered background. Which do you prefer?
The last photo is a ventral view that clearly shows this individual is a female.
Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags:female, Pantala hymenaea, Rainpool Gliders (Genus Pantala), Skimmer Family, Spot-winged Glider dragonfly, wildlife photography
Posted in Aperture, Canon 580EX Speedlite, digital photography, dragonflies, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150, Photoshop | Leave a Comment »
July 26, 2016
A Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) was spotted during a photowalk at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Prince William County, Virginia USA. This individual is a mature male, as indicated by his orangish-red coloration, hamules, and terminal appendages.
The dragonfly is shown perching at the top of Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) in all of the photos in this gallery.
The next photo is my favorite in this set.
I love a good head-tilt!
Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags:Celithemis eponina, Halloween Pennant dragonfly, hamules, mature male, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Odonart, Skimmer Family, terminal appendages, wildlife photography
Posted in Aperture, Canon 580EX Speedlite, digital photography, dragonflies, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150, photowalking | Leave a Comment »
July 24, 2016
More young male Halloween Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis eponina) were spotted on 06 July 2016 during a follow-up photowalk at Meadowood Recreation Area (MRA).
The last photo is my favorite in this set. Which photo is your favorite?
Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags:Celithemis eponina, Halloween Pennant dragonfly, Meadowood Recreation Area, Skimmer Family, wildlife photography, young male
Posted in Aperture, Canon 580EX Speedlite, digital photography, dragonflies, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150, photowalking | 1 Comment »
July 22, 2016
Halloween Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis eponina) — like this female spotted at Huntley Meadows Park — are very photogenic!
The next two photos are among my favorites in this set.
The following photo is my most favorite. Please look at the full-size version of this photo — the breathtakingly beautiful dragonfly seems to be luminous!
Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags:Celithemis eponina, female, Halloween Pennant dragonfly, Huntley Meadows Park, Odonart, Skimmer Family, wildlife photography
Posted in Aperture, Canon 580EX Speedlite, digital photography, dragonflies, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150 | 11 Comments »
July 20, 2016
Last year I coined the term “Odonart©” and created an “Odonart© Portfolio.” Odonart© is a concatenation of two words: odonate (dragonflies and damselflies); and art.
During a recent photowalk at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge (OBNWR), I shot several photos of two female Halloween Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis eponina) that I think are worthy of my portfolio.
The first photo is one of my favorites in this set.
Halloween Pennants prefer to perch at the top of tall vegetation such as the Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) shown in all of the photos. Eastern gamagrass is a grass that grows five- to six feet in height — a perfect perch for isolating the pennants against a deep blue sky!
The last two photos are among my favorites in this gallery.
Editor’s Note: Sincere thanks to Daffny Pitchford, Refuge Manager, Potomac River NWRC, for identifying the Eastern gamagrass shown in all of the photos in this gallery.
Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags:Celithemis eponina, female, Halloween Pennant dragonfly, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Odonart, Skimmer Family, wildlife photography
Posted in Aperture, Canon 580EX Speedlite, digital photography, dragonflies, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150 | 8 Comments »
July 18, 2016
Spot-winged Glider is one of at least five major species of dragonflies known to be migratory in North America. One field marker most migratory dragonflies have in common: broad hindwings.
The very broad hindwings represent an important adaptation for gliding, … Source Credit: Paulson, Dennis (2011-12-19). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides) (Kindle Locations 11276-11277). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.
The following gallery of photographs shows a Spot-winged Glider dragonfly (Pantala hymenaea) spotted along the Hike-Bike Trail at Huntley Meadows Park. This individual is a female.
Related Resources: Digital Dragonflies, presenting high-resolution digital scans of living dragonflies.
- Genus Pantala | Pantala hymenaea | Spot-winged Glider | male | top view
- Genus Pantala | Pantala hymenaea | Spot-winged Glider | male | side view
- Genus Pantala | Pantala hymenaea | Spot-winged Glider | female | top view
- Genus Pantala | Pantala hymenaea | Spot-winged Glider | female | side view
See interactive three-dimensional (3-D) virtual imagery of the five migratory dragonflies, including Spot-winged Glider, provided by the Migratory Dragonfly Partnership.
Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags:female, Hike-Bike Trail, Huntley Meadows Park, Pantala hymenaea, Rainpool Gliders (Genus Pantala), Skimmer Family, Spot-winged Glider dragonfly, wildlife photography
Posted in Aperture, Canon 580EX Speedlite, digital photography, dragonflies, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150, Photoshop | 1 Comment »
July 16, 2016
A Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) was spotted at Meadowood Recreation Area (MRA). This individual is a young male, as indicated by its coloration, hamules, and terminal appendages.
The coloration of immature male Halloween Pennants is similar to females of the same species: as males mature, their coloration (including the pterostigmata) darkens slowly to orange-red; this “young male” is at a stage between female- and male coloration.
Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags:Celithemis eponina, Halloween Pennant dragonfly, Meadowood Recreation Area, Skimmer Family, terminal appendages, wildlife photography, young male
Posted in Aperture, Canon 580EX Speedlite, digital photography, dragonflies, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150 | 2 Comments »
July 14, 2016
A mating pair of Banded Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis fasciata) was spotted at Hidden Pond, Meadowood Recreation Area (MRA). This pair is “in wheel.”
All dragonflies and damselflies have a 10-segmented abdomen, numbered from front to back: male dragonfly secondary genitalia, called hamules, are located in segments two and three (S2 and S3); female genitalia in segment eight (S8). Dragonflies form the mating wheel in order for their genitalia to connect during copulation.
Therefore, the male is on top; the female is on the bottom.
Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags:adult female, adult male, Banded Pennant dragonfly, Celithemis fasciata, hamules, Hidden Pond, in wheel, mating pair, Meadowood Recreation Area, Skimmer Family, wildlife photography
Posted in Aperture, Canon 580EX Speedlite, digital photography, dragonflies, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150 | Leave a Comment »
July 12, 2016
A Common Baskettail dragonfly (Epitheca cynosura) was spotted at Mulligan Pond, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. This individual is a female, as indicated by her rounded hind wings and simple, straight terminal appendages.
The shoreline of Mulligan Pond was patrolled actively by male Common Baskettail dragonflies during late-May 2016. It’s worth noting that no male Common Baskettails were spotted during my photowalk around the pond approximately one month later.
Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags:Common Baskettail dragonfly, Emerald Family, Epitheca cynosura, female, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, Mulligan Pond, terminal appendages, wildlife photography
Posted in Aperture, Canon 580EX Speedlite, digital photography, dragonflies, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150, photowalking | 3 Comments »
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