Reasoning for resident Roseate

Parts of my last blog post are like the title and abstract for a research paper.

At this point I think it’s reasonable to conclude I was right in 2015 — there is a small, resident, reproducing population of Roseate Skimmer at the park. Source Credit: Breaking news: More Roseate Skimmer spotted at Huntley Meadows Park, by Walter Sanford.

In this blog post, I will provide some of the reasoning that makes my conclusion reasonable.

Probability

First and foremost, ask yourself the obvious question: What are the odds Roseate Skimmer dragonfly (Orthemis ferruginea) migrated to the same park four times during the past eight years? Highly improbable, in my strong opinion.

Adult Flight Period

Long flight season but often most common in fall. Source Credit: Paulson, Dennis (2011-12-19). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides) (Kindle Location 9347). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.

Did you notice every sighting of Roseate Skimmer at Huntley Meadows Park, located in Fairfax County, Virginia USA, occurred during the month of September?

• 10 September 2014 – Walter Sanford (observed only)
• 23 September 2015 – Walter Sanford (photo)
• 29 September 2019 – Howard Wu (photo)
• 15 September 2022 – Lindsay Davis Loyd and Scot Magnotta (photo)

Mike Boatwright, my good friend and an odonate expert, searched the Dragonfly Society of the Americas Odonata Central records database and discovered a similar pattern.

• The earliest date in South Carolina is July 04 with most records in August to October.
• All North Carolina records are late August to September.
• Only two (2) Maryland records in July and August.

Lacking a larger database of sightings that can be used to determine the adult flight period for Roseate Skimmer at Huntley Meadows Park, it appears late-August to September is a good time to look for this rare species.

Why hasn’t the species been spotted more often at HMP?

That’s a good question, with several possible answers.

Roseate Skimmer is a “mudder,” meaning its preferred habitat seems to be ponds where there are mud flats.

Habitat: Very broad habitat tolerance, prefers mud bottoms for larval habitat. Source Credit: Paulson, Dennis (2011-12-19). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides) (Kindle Locations 9354-9355). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.

Now ask yourself another question: How many people visit Huntley Meadows Park and spend a lot of time looking carefully at mud flats? I think most people are drawn to the green spaces in the park.

But that’s just part of the problem. Huntley Meadows Park is huge (nearly 1,500 acres) and there are a lot of mud flats throughout the park, including many in places that are mostly inaccessible and/or off-limits to the public. This is especially true during late-summer and early-fall when the water level in the central wetland area tends to be lower than at other times of year.

And it’s almost certainly true that fewer odonate enthusiasts, including me, visit the park as often as they did before the park became overcrowded with photographers who block the boardwalk at prime locations where Roseate Skimmer might be spotted. Fewer odonate hunters searching for relatively few individual specimens at a time of year when there is a lot of suitable habitat is not a formula for success!

First confirmed sighting of a female Roseate Skimmer

The female and male Roseate Skimmer dragonflies that were spotted by Lindsay Davis Loyd and Scot Magnotta are a game-changer. The Roseates were observed perched relatively close to each other. If the pair hadn’t mated already then it’s likely they did — mating is the primary goal of adult odonates. So there are almost certainly Roseate Skimmer eggs in the water at Huntley Meadows Park. If the larvae (nymphs) overwinter successfully, then the beat goes on.

Opposing viewpoints

Equally reasonable opposing viewpoints are invited and welcome.

Until proven otherwise, I will continue to contend there is a resident population of Roseate Skimmer at Huntley Meadows Park.

There are many experienced odonate hunters who live in Northern Virginia. I think it would be great if we could mobilize a group to systematically search the park for Roseate Skimmer next year.

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

 

Breaking news: More Roseate Skimmer spotted at Huntley Meadows Park

Post Update (as of 03 October 2022)

Lindsay Davis Loyd and Scot Magnotta spotted one adult male and one adult female Roseate Skimmer dragonfly (Orthemis ferruginea) on 15 September 2022 at Huntley Meadows Park. This is the first confirmed sighting of a female Roseate Skimmer at Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

At this point I think it’s reasonable to conclude I was right in 2015 — there is a small, resident, reproducing population of Roseate Skimmer at the park.

Related Resources

• Reasoning for resident Roseate, a blog post by Walter Sanford, published on 07 October 2022.
• Roseate Skimmer dragonfly (male), a blog post by Walter Sanford, published on 26 September 2015.

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Are adult Autumn Meadowhawks arboreal?

Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) is classified as a fall species of odonate. In the mid-Atlantic United States, meadowhawks seem to disappear for several months after they emerge during early to mid-summer and reappear during fall. Where do they go? No one knows for sure. I speculate Autumn Meadowhawk is an arboreal species of dragonfly that returns to the ground/water when it’s time to mate.

Emergence

The first individual — photographed soon after emergence — is a/an teneral/immature male, as indicated by the tenuous appearance of his wings, coloration, and terminal appendages.

24 JUN 2016 | HMP | Autumn Meadowhawk (teneral/immature male)

The next individual is a/an teneral/immature female, as indicated by the tenuous appearance of her wings, coloration, and terminal appendages.

24 JUN 2016 | HMP | Autumn Meadowhawk (teneral/immature female)

Time to mate

Fall is the time to mate for mature adult Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies (S. vicinum), as you can see in the following photo.

15 NOV 2013 | HMP | Autumn Meadowhawk (mating pair, “in wheel”)

This mating pair is “in wheel”: the male is on the upper-left; the female is on the lower-right. 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.

Forest Canopy Walk at Vermont Institute of Natural Science

Observing dragonflies at the Earth’s surface is fairly easy; observing dragonflies at the treetops, not so much. The new Forest Canopy Walk at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) should facilitate the latter.

During 2020, I hope to collaborate with Kelly Stettner, Black River Action Team (BRAT), and Anna Morris, Lead Environmental Educator, VINS, to gather evidence that supports my speculation that adult meadowhawk dragonflies are arboreal. Field observations will be collected on the ground and along the Forest Canopy Walk.

Hosted by Anna Morris, Kelly Stettner and her family scouted the VINS site on 05 October 2019, including the new Forest Canopy Walk and nearby water bodies that provide suitable habitat for Autumn Meadowhawk. Special thanks to Anna for providing a behind the scenes tour a week before the official opening of the Forest Canopy Walk.

Gallery photos used with permission from Kelly Stettner, BRAT.

A week later, Autumn Meadowhawk was observed along the Forest Canopy Walk for the first time. The following photos provide circumstantial evidence that we might be on the right track. I love it when a plan comes together!

Gallery photos used with permission from Anna Morris, VINS.

I’m happy to share that during our public Forest Canopy Walk opening today [12 October 2019], I was stationed at the Eagle platform and got to see two (2) meadowhawks zooming around, then perched on the railing (pictures attached)! This is about 60 feet up, near a Sugar Maple and a Red Oak. [More meadowhawks were seen] the next day at nearly 90 feet up! At this height and as it was so sunny there were at least four individuals zooming around, landing on visitors, etc. Source Credit: Anna Morris, Lead Environmental Educator, VINS.

Related Resources

• Data mining for Autumn Meadowhawk, a follow-on blog post by Walter Sanford.
• Fall Foliage on the Forest Canopy Walk! by VINS YouTube (0:42)

Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Aurora Damsel (male, mating pair)

An Aurora Damsel (Chromagrion conditum) was spotted along the shoreline of a small pond located in Prince William County, Virginia USA. Aurora Damsel is a new species for my life list odonates.

This individual is a male, as indicated by his coloration and terminal appendages. Speaking of coloration, notice the underside of the male’s thorax is yellow — a key field mark for Aurora.

21 MAY 2019 | PNC. William County, VA | Aurora Damsel (male)

A mating pair of Aurora Damsel was spotted at the same location. This pair is “in tandem“: the male is on the upper-right; the female on the lower-left.

After copulation, Aurora Damsel engages in a form of guarding behavior known as “contact guarding,” in which the male and female fly “in tandem” to egg-laying sites. Contact guarding is used by most species of damselflies and some species of dragonflies to prevent aggressive males from hijacking the female.

21 MAY 2019 | PNC. William County, VA | Aurora Damsel (mating pair)

Female C. conditum is polymorphic, including two morphs: blue coloration similar to male; or with an entirely yellow thorax, as shown above.

It’s helpful to take photos of mating pairs of damselflies, especially “in tandem,” since males and females of the same species can look quite different. The preceding photo is slightly overexposed. As a result, the yellow coloration on both the male and female looks a little washed out.

Credits

Sincere thanks to Gary Myers for the tip that enabled Mike Powell and me to find this uncommon damselfly. See Aurora Damsels in action for Mike’s take on our first time seeing this species.

Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Robber Flies (mating pair)

A mating pair of Red-footed Cannibalflies (Promachus rufipes), a species of robber fly (Family Asilidae), was spotted during a photowalk along Deephole Point Road at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Prince William County, Virginia USA.

There’s an obvious difference in the appearance of male and female Red-footed Cannibalflies: the male’s abdomen is “tiger-striped” for its entire length; the female’s abdomen is two-thirds tiger-striped, one-third black. Therefore, the male is shown on the upper-right in the following photo; the female on the lower-left.

23 AUG 2018 | OBNWR | Red-footed Cannibalflies (mating pair)

The next photo shows the male on the upper-left; the female on the lower-right.

23 AUG 2018 | OBNWR | Red-footed Cannibalflies (mating pair)

The last photo shows the female on the left; the male on the right.

23 AUG 2018 | OBNWR | Red-footed Cannibalflies (mating pair)

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Stream Bluet damselflies (mating pair, in tandem)

A mating pair of Stream Bluet damselflies (Enallagma exsulans) was spotted during a stream-walk along South Fork Quantico Creek in Prince William Forest Park (PWFP), Prince William County, Virginia USA. This pair is in tandem.

After copulation, Stream Bluet engages in a form of guarding behavior known as “contact guarding,” in which the male and female fly “in tandem” to egg-laying sites. Contact guarding is used by some species of odonates to prevent aggressive males from hijacking the female.

26 JUN 2018 | PWFP | Stream Bluet (mating pair, in tandem)

Female E. exsulans is polymorphic, including two morphs: green or blue thorax; abdomen similar to male for both morphs. The female shown in the preceding photo is a green morph.

Look closely at the posterior end of the female’s abdomen. All female damselflies (and some species of dragonflies) use an ovipositor to insert fertilized eggs into vegetation (endophytic oviposition). Notice the white spheroid at the tip of her ovipositor. That’s either a single egg or egg cluster/mass, probably the former.

Now look at the male. He appears to be “recharging” for mating again: Sperm is transferred from the genital opening under abdominal segment nine (S9) to the secondary genitalia located under abdominal segment two (S2). Remember all dragonflies and damselflies have a 10-segmented abdomen.

Editor’s Notes

Thanks to my good friend Mike Boatwright, administrator of the Virginia Odonata Facebook group, for verifying my tentative identification of the species of damselfly. Also thanks to Sue Gregoire, Kestrel Haven Migration Observatory, for sharing her expert opinion that my photo shows a single egg at the tip of the female’s ovipositor.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Mosquito Hawks

I’m honored to announce several of my dragonfly photographs are featured on new signage at Melvin L. Newman Wetlands Center, Clayton County, Georgia. The info-graphic, entitled “Mosquito Hawks,” was created by Danielle Bunch, Senior Conservationist for Clayton County Water Authority.

Image used with permission from Danielle Bunch.

As a retired K-12 science educator, I know from first-hand experience that informal learning opportunities can be as valuable as formal education in school classrooms. I was glad to contribute several of my photographs of Common Green Darner dragonflies (Anax junius) to the new info-graphic for the wetland area. It’s flattering to share the stage with Giff Beaton, author of Dragonflies and Damselflies of Georgia and the Southeast.

Full-size versions of my photographs (featured on the signage) appear in several previous posts on my photoblog.

• Common Green Darner dragonflies (Part 2) [Mating Wheel]
• Common Green Darner dragonfly (mating pair, in tandem, oviposition) [Oviposition]
• What’s my gender? [Adult Female]

Related Resources

• Vernal Pools are Wet and Dry
• Chesapeake Explorer

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Ebony Jewelwing damselflies (mating pair)

A mating pair of Ebony Jewelwing damselflies (Calopteryx maculata) was spotted near a small forest stream at Occoquan Regional Park. The male is shown on the left; the female on the right.

24 JUN 2018 | Occoquan Regional Park | Ebony Jewelwing (mating pair)

The damselflies are “in wheel,” in which the male uses “claspers” (terminal appendages) at the end of his abdomen to hold the female by her neck/thorax while they are joined at their abdomens. The wheel position is sometimes referred to as “in heart” when damselflies mate.

24 JUN 2018 | Occoquan Regional Park | Ebony Jewelwing (mating pair)

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Autumn Meadowhawks (mating pairs, in tandem)

Two mating pairs of Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum vicinum) were photographed at Hidden Pond, Meadowood Recreation Area (MRA), Fairfax County, Virginia USA. Both pairs are “in tandem.”

The first pair is perching on the small wooden dock at Hidden Pond: the male is on the upper-right; the female is on the lower-left.

27 OCT 2017 | MRA | Autumn Meadowhawk (mating pair, “in tandem“)

The last pair is perching on an American sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) growing alongside the dock. I love the way the fall coloration of the tree leaves complements the coloration of the dragonflies! The male is on the upper-left; the female is on the lower-right.

27 OCT 2017 | MRA | Autumn Meadowhawk (mating pair, “in tandem“)

Tech Tips

The photographs in this gallery were taken using my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 superzoom digital camera set for ~24x zoom (focal length of 600mm, 35mm equivalent), and Canon 580EX Speedlite external flash (manual mode).

In order to reduce “camera shake,” the camera was set for shutter priority mode. Using the reciprocal rule, the shutter speed was set for 1/800s. The ISO was set for “100.” An inexpensive Sunpak 6700M aluminum monopod was used for added stability.

Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies (mating pairs)

This blog post features more photos taken using my Fujifilm X-T1 digital camera, Fujinon XF55-200mm zoom lens, and a Fujifilm MCEX-11 extension tube. The camera was set for manual focus in order to use focus peaking; back-button focusing was used to focus automatically.

In wheel

ISO 640 | 200mm (~300mm, 35mm equivalent) | f/11 | 1/500s | 0.33 ev

Two of many mating pairs of Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum vicinum) were photographed on 27 October 2017 at Hidden Pond, Meadowood Recreation Area, Fairfax County, Virginia USA. Both pairs are “in wheel“: the male is on top; the female is on the bottom.

ISO 800 | 200mm (~300mm, 35mm equivalent) | f/18 | 1/500s | 0 ev

In tandem

The last mating pair is “in tandem“: the male is on the upper-right; the female is on the lower-left.

ISO 800 | 200mm (~300mm, 35mm equivalent) | f/16 | 1/500s | 0 ev

After copulation, Autumn Meadowhawks engage in a form of guarding behavior known as “contact guarding,” in which the male and female fly “in tandem” to egg-laying sites. Contact guarding is used by some species of odonates to prevent aggressive males from hijacking the female.

Related Resource: Adding an 11mm extension tube, a blog post by Walter Sanford.

Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.