Two Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum ambiguum) were spotted during a photowalk along Charlie Road at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Prince William County, Virginia USA. Although Blue-faced Meadowhawk is on the species list of dragonflies and damselflies at Occoquan Bay NWR, this is the first time I have seen Sympetrum ambiguum at the refuge.
Male
This first individual is a male, as indicated by his terminal appendages.
19 OCT 2017 | OBNWR | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)
This guy was skittish. I was able to take one photo before he flew toward the tree canopy. The preceding photograph is what my good friend Mike Boatwright calls a “record shot,” that is, a photograph that records (verifies) my sighting of the male Sympetrum ambiguum. The photo was cropped slightly for improved composition.
Female
The last individual is a female heteromorph, as indicated by her tan coloration and terminal appendages.
19 OCT 2017 | OBNWR | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (female heteromorph)
The preceding photograph is my “record shot” of the female. I worked the shot…
19 OCT 2017 | OBNWR | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (female heteromorph)
…until I found the best viewpoint, shown below.
19 OCT 2017 | OBNWR | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (female heteromorph)
The first and last photos of the female were cropped slightly for improved composition; the second photo is uncropped.
Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly, Family Libellulidae (Skimmers), female, heteromorph, male, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sympetrum ambiguum, terminal appendages
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