Common Green Darner dragonfly (external female reproductive anatomy)

For some species of odonate exuviae, sex is indicated by a form of remnant reproductive anatomy. These external structures don’t look exactly the same for all species of dragonflies and damselflies, but their function is identical.

As far as I know, this is true for all species in the Family Aeshnidae (Darners) such as Common Green Darner dragonfly (Anax junius).

Common Green Darner (Anax junius) | exuvia (ventral view)

The following photograph shows a ventral view of a female Common Green Darner dragonfly. Notice the external reproductive anatomical structure on abdominal segment nine (S9) is virtually identical to the remnant anatomical structure on S9 of the exuvia, shown above.

Original photo used with permission from Louisa C. Craven.

The Backstory

My dear friend Louisa Craven discovered the lifeless adult dragonfly while on vacation with her family in Nags Head, North Carolina USA. Louisa is an accomplished wildlife photographer who developed an interest in odonates as a result of many photowalks with me.

Related Resources

• Sexing odonate exuviae (Anisoptera)
• Odonate Exuvia
• Puzzle solved: Anax junius exuvia (female)

Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Diptic: Dragonfly identification quiz/scavenger hunt

Regular readers of my photoblog should be able to identify the dragonflies shown in the following composite image. For each one of the dragonflies shown in the four-panel diptych, identify the type of dragonfly (common name plus genus and species) and its gender (either male or female). If you are unable to identify one or more of the dragonflies, then you may scavenge my photoblog in search of answers. (The correct answers will be provided in a follow-up post on 25 December 2011.)

Tech Tips: The diptych (shown above) was created using Apple “Aperture” and “Diptic” app for Apple iOS mobile devices. Apple “Preview” was used to annotate Photo 1 of 2; Photo 2 of 2 is the original diptych.

Copyright © 2011 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Diptychs of Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies

The following gallery features photos of Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum vicinum) spotted during a during a photowalk through Huntley Meadows Park on 02 December 2011. It was astounding to see dragonflies so late in the year — completely unexpected! Male Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies have red eyes and a red face, a brown thorax, a red abdomen, and red pterostigma near all four wingtips. Its body is approximately one-and-a-half to two inches (1.5 – 2″) in length.

These composite images, known as a diptychs, were created using Aperture and Diptic  app for Apple iOS mobile devices.

Panels three and four (shown above, lower-left and lower-right) show a mating pair of Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies. Odonata, an order of insects including dragonflies and damselflies, reproduce in three stages: in tandem; in wheel (sometimes called “in heart” for damselflies); and oviposition. The dragonflies shown in Panels 3-4 are “in wheel,” in which the male (red abdomen) uses claspers at the end of his abdomen to hold the female by her thorax while they are joined at their abdomens. All dragonflies and damselflies have a 10-segmented abdomen: male dragonfly secondary genitalia are located in segments two and three (2 and 3); female genitalia in segment eight (8).

Photos © Copyright 2011 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

Eastern Amberwing dragonfly diptychs

The preceding gallery shows diptychs of an Eastern Amberwing dragonfly (Perithemis tenera) spotted during a photowalk through Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

The diptychs (shown above), entitled “An Eastern Frame of Mind,” were created using Aperture and Diptic app for Apple iOS mobile devices. See full-size versions of the photos used to create the preceding diptychs: Eastern Amberwing dragonfly.

Copyright © 2011 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Blue Dasher: three- and four-panel diptychs

The following gallery shows diptychs of male Blue Dasher dragonflies (Pachydiplax longipennis), members of the skimmer family of dragonflies, spotted during photowalks through Huntley Meadows Park.

The diptychs (shown above), entitled “Dashing Blue Dashers,” were created using Aperture and Diptic  app for Apple iOS mobile devices. I still can’t decide whether I prefer a black- or white border — what do you think?

Related Resources:

See full-size versions of the photos used to create the preceding diptychs of dragonflies.

• Blue Dasher dragonfly
• Blue Dasher dragonfly [handheld]

Photos © Copyright 2011 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

Diptic dilemna: Black or white border?

Another “Hi-Res” Diptic (resolution = 2048 x 2048 pixels) of Slaty Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula incesta) spotted during photowalks through Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA. The diptychs (shown above), entitled “Perching Slatys II,” were created using Aperture and Diptic  app for Apple iOS mobile devices. The color of the border is the only difference between the two Diptics — which color do you prefer, black or white?

The following gallery illustrates the workflow used to create the composite image in Diptic.

1. Browse stock layouts; choose a layout (Image No. 1).
2. Select photos (No. 2).
3. Select the source of the photos to add to the layout; add photos (No. 3).
4. Add effects; tap “Border” button (No. 4).
5. Select border options (No. 5).
6. Export Hi-Res Diptic (No. 6).
7. Save output to “Saved Photos” (No. 7).

Photos © Copyright 2011 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

A diptych of dragonflies

A diptych of Slaty Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula incesta) spotted during photowalks through Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA. The diptych (shown above), entitled “Perching Slatys,” was created using Diptic  app for Apple iOS mobile devices.

Related Resources:

See full-size versions of the photos used to create the preceding diptych of dragonflies.

• Slaty Skimmer dragonfly
• Slaty Skimmer dragonfly (male)

Tech Tips: The source photos were post-processed using Apple “Aperture,” a professional-grade tool for organizing and adjusting photos, before they were imported into “Diptic” app. Selected images were cropped to fit perfectly within the borderless frames I chose to use in “Diptic.” In order to create a “Normal” resolution Diptic (1024 x 1024 pixels) like the one shown above, I used “Aperture” to crop photo tiles from the source images in the following sizes: 512 x 512 pixels (square); 512 H x 1024 W pixels. Next, I used iTunes to sync the photo tiles to my iPad. Finally, I launched Diptic, selected the photo tiles, and added black and white borders with a width of 10 pixels.

Photo © Copyright 2011 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

My Top 30 iPhone Photos — A One-Year Retrospective

I bought a used Apple iPhone 3G a little more than a year ago; I upgraded to a used iPhone 3GS a few months later. iPhoneography rekindled my interest in photography. I have taken more than 1,500 photos using my iPhones during the past year — that’s more photos than I’ve taken in years! Inspired by a recent Tweet from professional photographer Rick Sammon …

Selecting your best photos can be challenging — as well as quite rewarding.

… I started a project to select my best iPhone photos from the past year. Along the way I learned about some of the advanced features of Aperture, a professional-grade tool for organizing and adjusting photos. Embedded in the EXIF/IPTC info of every photo is a title, caption, one or more keywords, copyright notice, and a geotag.

Conventional wisdom says I should rank the photos and lead with my best shot; I chose to present the photos in chronological order instead. In this order, the gallery reflects the passing of time as well as the persistence of my interests. Here they are — 25 of my favorite photos, and five of my favorite panorama photos. All photos were taken using the iPhone’s built in camera; photo 16 of 25 was post-processed using Diptic app.

Panorama photos 1 through 3 (shown below) were created using AutoStitch Panorama app; panorama photos 4 and 5 were created using Photosynth app (panorama photo 4 was adjusted and cropped using Aperture).

Tech Tips: You may be wondering, “Why did you buy used iPhones?” If you have a used smartphone, then you do not have to commit to a long-term contract with a wireless phone service provider. That’s a gold nugget of wisdom I’m happy to share! “FxIF” is an add-on for the Mozilla Firefox Web browser that allows the user to view EXIF info — including GPS info, when available — by simply right-clicking on a Web page photo and selecting “EXIF Data.”