Another Russet-tipped Clubtail

I was eager to see another Russet-tipped Clubtail dragonfly (Stylurus plagiatus) after I spotted one on 22 September 2016 during a photowalk at Mulligan Pond, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge (JMAWR).

A male Russet-tipped Clubtail was observed on 25 September 2016 at JMAWR, but it was only a fleeting glimpse. When I spotted him, he was flitting around looking for a perch — after two “touch-and-gos” he flew toward the trees in the distance and I never saw him again.

Another Russet-tipped Clubtail was spotted on 27 September 2016 that was more cooperative. This individual is a male, as indicated by the large russet-colored club at the end of his abdomen, and his terminal appendages.

27 SEP 2016 | JMAWR | Russet-tipped Clubtail (male)

Notice this male has tattered wings; the one spotted on 22 September does not. Facing forward, there’s a nick in the lower-left hindwing (above), and a chunk is missing from the upper-right forewing (below). Although this post is entitled Another Russet-tipped Clubtail, this male could be the same one seen on either the 22nd or the 25th with wing damage sustained during the interval between photowalks.

27 SEP 2016 | JMAWR | Russet-tipped Clubtail (male)

I love a good head-tilt, as shown in the preceding photo. But wait, there’s more to love — the hint of fall in the foliage in all of the photos.

27 SEP 2016 | JMAWR | Russet-tipped Clubtail (male)

Also notice all of the photos in this gallery show excrement extending from the tip of the abdomen. I’m a paparazzi who likes to photograph odonates “going about their usual life routines,” including doing their business. Hey, life happens!

27 SEP 2016 | JMAWR | Russet-tipped Clubtail (male)

27 SEP 2016 | JMAWR | Russet-tipped Clubtail (male)

Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

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Tags: Clubtail Family, Gomphidae, head-tilt, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, male, Mulligan Pond, Russet-tipped Clubtail dragonfly, Stylurus plagiatus, terminal appendages, wildlife photography