Archive for June, 2020
June 29, 2020
Another Gray Petaltail dragonfly (Tachopteryx thoreyi) was spotted during a recent photowalk with Michael Powell at a location in Fairfax County, Virginia USA. This individual is a male, as indicated by his “indented” hind wings, and terminal appendages.
The first photo is the “record shot” for this individual, that is, “get a shot, any shot.” It’s literally the first shot I took as soon as I spotted the Gray.
I moved slowly to a slightly closer position; almost had a squared-up dorsal view of the subject before he flew away.
Related Resource: Gray Petaltail dragonfly (male) [No. 1]
Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:Family Petaluridae (Petaltails), Gray Petaltail dragonfly, habitat specialist, male, Tachopteryx thoreyi, terminal appendages
Posted in Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, Lightroom, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, photowalking, wildlife photography, Yongnuo YN568EX II | 1 Comment »
June 26, 2020
After a two-year hiatus since I spotted my first Sable Clubtail dragonfly (Stenogomphurus rogersi) during June 2018, it was a pleasure see an old friend again!
The first photo is the “record shot” for this individual, that is, “get a shot, any shot.” It is literally the first shot I took as soon as I spotted the Sable male. As you can see, he was looking in my direction so I was unable to sneak up on him. That proved to be problematic.
I tried to move slowly into position for a lateral view of the dragonfly.
The last photo is almost as far as I moved before Mr. Sable flew away — five shots and it was game over, man!
Later the same day I was fortunate to photograph a more cooperative male that will be featured in a follow-up post.
Rare to Uncommon
Sable Clubtail has a limited range and is classified as a rare to uncommon species of odonate. The following map shows all official records for Sable Clubtail in the United States of America.
Source Credit: Abbott, J.C. 2006-2018. OdonataCentral: An online resource for the distribution and identification of Odonata. Available at http://www.odonatacentral.org. (Accessed: June 11, 2018).
Key: blue dots = Dot Map Project; green dots = Accepted records; yellow dots = Pending records.
As you would expect, there are few official records for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and fewer records for Northern Virginia.
The Backstory
A short segment of a small stream that flows through a park in Northern Virginia seems to provide ideal habitat for Sable. By the end of Summer 2018, the stream had been degraded significantly by siltation as a result of runoff from dirt that was dumped uphill from the stream.
The following year, the stream channel was almost completely choked by vegetation that I assume flourished in the nutrient-rich sediment that had flowed into the stream. Net result: One and only one Sable Clubtail dragonfly was observed by several spotters who visited the stream site during 2019.
That’s the bad news. The good news is I saw at least three Sable Clubtails when I visited the stream site on Saturday, 13 June 2020. That’s not as many individuals as I saw in 2018, but the species seems to have rebounded a little from the damage done to its habitat.
As Jeff Goldblum said in Jurassic Park, “Life finds a way.” Let’s hope!
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Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:exuvia, Family Gomphidae (Clubtails), male, Sable Clubtail dragonfly, Stenogomphurus rogersi
Posted in Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, education, Lightroom, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, wildlife photography, Yongnuo YN568EX II | 3 Comments »
June 24, 2020
During a photowalk with Michael Powell in Fairfax County, Virginia USA, Mike spotted an American Rubyspot damselfly (Hetaerina americana) perched facing the Potomac River. This individual is a male, as indicated by his red coloration, hamules, and terminal appendages.
All of the photos in the following gallery look similar, although there are subtle differences.
The first photo is the “record shot” for this individual, that is, “get a shot, any shot.” Actually, this one turned out to be a good photo! The camera was set for an aperture of f/5.6 for all shots in the gallery. This viewing angle provided the clearest look at his terminal appendages given the relatively shallow depth-of-field.
The next photo shows a better look at the damselfly’s metallic ruby red face. Handsome!
Finally, I just like the look of the “light” in the last photo. Dark and moody.
Related Resource: American Rubyspot – a blog post by Michael Powell
Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:American Rubyspot damselfly, Broad-winged Damselflies, Family Calopterygidae, hamules, Hetaerina americana, male, Potomac River, terminal appendages
Posted in Aperture, damselflies, digital photography, Lightroom, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, photowalking, wildlife photography, Yongnuo YN568EX II | 2 Comments »
June 22, 2020
At least 11 Cobra Clubtail dragonflies (Gomphurus vastus) were spotted during a photowalk with Michael Powell in Fairfax County, Virginia USA, including 10 females and one male. This blog post features several photos of female No. 4.
This individual is a female, as indicated by her terminal appendages and rounded hind wings.
The last two photos are my favorite in the set. Isn’t she a beauty?
Related Resource: Cobra Clubtail dragonflies (females) [No. 1a and 1b]
Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:Cobra Clubtail dragonfly, Family Gomphidae (Clubtails), female, Gomphurus vastus, terminal appendages
Posted in Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, Lightroom, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, photowalking, wildlife photography, Yongnuo YN568EX II | 1 Comment »
June 19, 2020
A Gray Petaltail dragonfly (Tachopteryx thoreyi) was spotted during a recent photowalk with Michael Powell at a location in Fairfax County, Virginia USA. This individual is a male, as indicated by his “indented” hind wings, and terminal appendages.
The Gray Petaltail is shown perched on the sunny side of a tree where the dragonfly landed after he flew past me. This is my first photo of my first Gray for 2020.
The Gray moved to another place on the same tree. The “hairy” vine where he is perched is poison ivy. Yikes, please don’t land on me Mr. Petaltail!
The dragonfly flew to another tree nearby the first one. The next photo is my favorite in the set.
The last photo shows a side view of the Gray, featuring a partial view of his face.
Related Resource: Posts Tagged ‘Gray Petaltail dragonfly’
Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:Family Petaluridae (Petaltails), Gray Petaltail dragonfly, habitat specialist, male, Tachopteryx thoreyi, terminal appendages
Posted in Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, Lightroom, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, photowalking, wildlife photography, Yongnuo YN568EX II | 2 Comments »
June 17, 2020
An Arrowhead Spiketail dragonfly (Cordulegaster obliqua) was spotted during a recent photowalk with Michael Powell at a location in Fairfax County, Virginia USA.
This individual is a male, as indicated by his hamules and terminal appendages.
The Backstory
At the end of a long day in the field, Mike Powell and I were walking back to the car slowly when we spotted a group of 10-or-so large dragonflies hawking insects over a HUGE field, near a small drainage pipe. We stopped to watch the hawkers hoping one would land; I sat on my Coleman camp stool to rest in the shade and enjoy the aerial acrobatics show.
One of the large dragonflies zoomed past Mike (he says he never saw it) and landed on a tall grass stem near the drainage pipe. It was the male Arrowhead Spiketail shown above!
Turns out the place is nothing like the habitat described as ideal (see below). I’ll say this: Three out of four times I’ve seen Arrowhead Spiketails, a fly-by was how I found them. So maybe just sit in a good spot and wait for the game to come to you. Maybe.
Habitat
Disclaimer: I have observed and photographed four (4) Arrowhead Spiketail dragonflies. I feel somewhat uncomfortable providing habitat guidance based upon a sample size of four. That being said, here goes.
Almost every Arrowhead siting had three common ingredients: a seep (or soggy place) in the forest, with skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) and interrupted fern (Osmunda claytoniana); a small stream in the forest fed by the seep/soggy place; and a sunny clearing.
I found my first Arrowhead Spiketail at a small stream in Huntley Meadows Park. I walked the stream to its source, not that the source is well defined. Instead it’s a BIG soggy area. I wouldn’t call it a seep and I have never seen skunk cabbage anywhere in the park. There are two virtually identical streams elsewhere in the park where Arrowhead has been photographed. The male Arrowhead flew a LONG patrol along the stream, flying approximately six inches (6″) above the water level. At the end points of his patrol, he would hang up to rest in a sunny spot. It took a long time for me to find the hang up places!
Michael Powell spotted the second Arrowhead Spiketail I’ve seen, perched in a small, sunny clearing in the forest along a small stream. A seep with skunk cabbage and interrupted fern was located nearby. For what it’s worth, we saw/photographed several Gray Petaltail dragonflies (Tachopteryx thoreyi) in the same field.
MUCH FARTHER downstream, the same creek is a little larger in size. At one point, a small iron-stained creek flows into the main creek. Mike and I were standing at the mouth of the tiny creek when I saw an Arrowhead fly like a bat out of hell straight down the stream and turn left; it perched in a large, sunny field. I was able to find it, and we took photos. A week-or-so later, Mike traced the smaller creek to its source. Wouldn’t you know it? The headwaters are a seep with lots of skunk cabbage!
My most recent Arrowhead Spiketail sighting — the individual featured in this blog post — is the one that doesn’t fit the pattern. The dragonfly was spotted in a HUGE field of grasses, etc. There are small creeks and seeps nearby, but not within sight of the location where the Arrowhead perched.
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Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:Arrowhead Spiketail dragonfly, Cordulegaster obliqua, Family Cordulegastridae (Spiketails), Family Petaluridae (Petaltails), Gray Petaltail dragonfly, habitat specialist, male, Tachopteryx thoreyi, terminal appendages
Posted in Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, education, Lightroom, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, photowalking, wildlife photography, Yongnuo YN568EX II | 4 Comments »
June 15, 2020
How can you tell when a photographer is nearly as persistent as a dragonfly is skittish? Every photo in this blog post shows the subject against a different background!
The following Widow Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa) was spotted during a recent photowalk with Michael Powell at a location in Fairfax County, Virginia USA.
This individual is a female, as indicated by her coloration, pattern of wing spots, and terminal appendages.
The camera was set for Manual exposure using an aperture of f/6.3 and a shutter speed of 1/800 s. I knew the depth-of-field would be too shallow to show the subject in focus from head to tail, but I took the shot anyway because I wanted a good photo of her face plus it’s uncommon to get a look at the ventral side of a perched dragonfly.
Habitat
Information regarding the preferred habitat for Widow Skimmer can be found by following the hyperlinks to authoritative references embedded in this post, including Dragonflies of Northern Virginia, BugGuide, and The Dragonflies and Damselflies of North Carolina.
Related Resources
Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:Family Libellulidae (Skimmers), female, Libellula luctuosa, terminal appendages, Widow Skimmer dragonfly
Posted in Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, Lightroom, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, photowalking, wildlife photography, Yongnuo YN568EX II | 2 Comments »
June 12, 2020
At least 11 Cobra Clubtail dragonflies (Gomphurus vastus) were spotted during a photowalk with Michael Powell in Fairfax County, Virginia USA, including 10 females and one male. This blog post features photos of the first two females that I spotted.
No. 1a
This individual is a female, as indicated by her terminal appendages and rounded hind wings. Notice the injury to her right rear leg.
No. 1b
Inspired by Fred Siskind’s portfolio of dew-covered insects, Mike Powell and I are on a never-ending quest to find and photograph dew-covered odonates. The last photo shows my best effort to date.
As we were photographing female No. 1a, I noticed another individual perched nearby. No. 1a was perched in a sunny spot where most of the morning dew had evaporated; No. 1b was perched in a shady spot where everything was still covered by dew.
Unfortunately, this female was quite skittish so her glamor shoot was one-and-done.
What is dew and how does it form?
Dew forms when the atmosphere is cooled until its temperature reaches the “dew point temperature” and water vapor in the atmosphere (an invisible gas) condenses to become liquid water. (The temperature when this phase change occurs is also known as the “frost point temperature.”)
The dew point temperature varies depending upon the amount of moisture in the air. Typical dew points in the mid-Atlantic states are in the 60s and 70s during the summer months, 40s and 50s during spring and fall, and 20s and 30s during winter.
Check your local weather forecast to see whether the predicted overnight low air temperature will reach the dew point temperature. Sometimes close is good enough, as surfaces that are good radiators of thermal energy can cool a thin layer of air to the dew point.
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Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:Cobra Clubtail dragonfly, Family Gomphidae (Clubtails), female, Gomphurus vastus, terminal appendages
Posted in Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, education, How To, Lightroom, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, photowalking, weather, wildlife photography, Yongnuo YN568EX II | 3 Comments »
June 10, 2020
Two members of Family Calopterygidae (Broad-winged Damselflies) can be found in Fairfax County, Virginia USA: American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana); and Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata). Ebony Jewelwing seems to be more common than American Rubyspot in Fairfax County.
The preceding photo of an Ebony Jewelwing is one of my “warm-up shots” from a recent photowalk with Michael Powell at a location in Fairfax County, Virginia USA.
This individual is a female. A simple field mark may be used to differentiate female and male Ebony Jewelwing: females feature white pterostigmata; males don’t.
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Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:Broad-winged Damselflies, Calopteryx maculata, Ebony Jewelwing damselfly, Family Calopterygidae, female, pterostigma
Posted in Aperture, damselflies, digital photography, Lightroom, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, photowalking, wildlife photography, Yongnuo YN568EX II | Leave a Comment »
June 8, 2020
When I go looking for rare-to-uncommon species of odonates, I like to take a few “warm-up shots” at the beginning of the photowalk in order to be sure all my photography gear is working properly — the moment you find your target species is the wrong time to be fiddling around with camera settings or troubleshooting an external flash unit that isn’t firing!
The following photo is one of my “warm-up shots” from a recent photowalk with Michael Powell at a location in Fairfax County, Virginia USA.
Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia) is a common species of dragonfly. Plathemis lydia is a “habitat generalist” that can be found almost anywhere there is water. It is one of the first species to appear in spring and one of the last species to disappear in fall.
This individual is an immature male, as indicated by the brown coloration of his abdomen, pattern of wing spots, and terminal appendages.
Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:Common Whitetail dragonfly, Family Libellulidae (Skimmers), immature male, Plathemis lydia, terminal appendages
Posted in Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, Lightroom, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, photowalking, wildlife photography, Yongnuo YN568EX II | 6 Comments »
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