Blue-faced Meadowhawk (young male)

A Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum ambiguum) was spotted near a vernal pool in the forest at Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

This individual is a young male, as indicated by the red pruinescence that partially covers his yellow-orange and black abdomen, plus his terminal appendages.

20 SEP 2013 | HMP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (young male)

Regular readers of my photoblog know I’m fond of head-tilts in which the dragonfly seems to display some of its personality, especially when the individual is looking at me (below).

20 SEP 2013 | HMP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (young male)

Left, right, left. I followed this guy from perch to perch for several minutes.

20 SEP 2013 | HMP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (young male)

The Backstory

My collection of field notes includes two text files that list lots of photos of both Blue-faced Meadowhawk and Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies (S. vicinum) that were never published in my photoblog. Most of the photos were taken during Fall 2013 when one of many vernal pools at Huntley Meadows Park was near peak diversity for odonate species that inhabited the pool. Sadly, those days are long gone!

Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies (males)

Two Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum ambiguum) were spotted at Old Colchester Park and Preserve (OCPP), Fairfax County, Virginia USA. There is a true vernal pool at the park where Blue-faced Meadowhawks are relatively abundant.

03 OCT 2016 | OCPP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

Both individuals are male, as indicated by their coloration and terminal appendages.

03 OCT 2016 | OCPP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Blue-faced Meadowhawk (immature female)

A Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum ambiguum) was spotted at Occoquan Regional Park (ORP), Fairfax County, Virginia USA. This individual is an immature female, as indicated by her coloration and terminal appendages.

24 JUN 2018 | ORP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (immature female)

Now you see her; now you don’t.

Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies are 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 summer and reappear during fall. Where do they go? No one knows for sure. I speculate Blue-faced Meadowhawks are an arboreal species of dragonfly that returns to the ground/water when it’s time to mate.

Editor’s Note

Sincere thanks to my good friend Mike Boatwright, administrator of the Virginia Odonata Facebook group, for verifying my tentative identification.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Male Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies

On the same day that I saw a male Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum ambiguum) with an eye injury, one or more other males were photographed at the same location in Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

22 OCT 2017 | HMP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

Please look at the full-size version of each photo in order to fully appreciate these handsome little devils!

22 OCT 2017 | HMP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

22 OCT 2017 | HMP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

22 OCT 2017 | HMP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

22 OCT 2017 | HMP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Eye injury

A Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum ambiguum) was spotted near a vernal pool at remote location in Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA. This individual is a male, as indicated by his terminal appendages.

When I post-processed the RAW images of the male dragonfly I noticed he has an eye injury, highlighted in the following annotated image.

22 OCT 2017 | HMP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male, with eye injury)

(See a full-size version of the original photo, without annotation.)

The eye injury can be seen in two more photos of the same male.

22 OCT 2017 | HMP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male, with eye injury)

22 OCT 2017 | HMP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male, with eye injury)

Related Resource: Eye injury, a blog post by Walter Sanford, featuring photos of a female andromorph Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly spotted on 18 September 2013 along the boardwalk of the central wetland area at Huntley Meadows Park.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Lunch time

A Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum ambiguum) was spotted at ~12:13 p.m. near a vernal pool at a remote location in Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA. This individual is a male, eating an unknown species of winged insect.

25 OCT 2017 | HMP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male, eating)

The first photo is the scene-setter.

25 OCT 2017 | HMP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male, eating)

The last two photos are cropped so that the predator and prey are more prominent. The dragonfly barely moved from the first-to-last photos; the position of the butterfly/moth moved slightly as it was eaten.

25 OCT 2017 | HMP | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male, eating)

Did you notice there are three insects shown in each photo? Perhaps the fly is an opportunist, waiting to clean-up the leftovers from the dragonfly’s lunch.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Unambiguously Sympetrum ambiguum

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.

Blue-faced Meadowhawk (Batch 4)

Batch 4 (of 4). Please look at the full-size version of each photo.

Several male Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum ambiguum) were spotted near a vernal pool at a remote location in Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

03 OCT 2017 | Huntley Meadows Park | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

The first photograph is my favorite in this batch; the second photo is, well, a close second place.

03 OCT 2017 | Huntley Meadows Park | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

03 OCT 2017 | Huntley Meadows Park | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

Related Resources

• Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies [Batch 1]
• More Blue-faced Meadowhawk [Batch 2]
• Blue-faced Meadowhawk (Batch 3)

Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Blue-faced Meadowhawk (Batch 3)

This gallery features photos from Batch 3 (of 4) showing male Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum ambiguum) spotted during a recent photowalk around a vernal pool at a remote location in Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

03 OCT 2017 | Huntley Meadows Park | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

Here’s looking at you, kid.

03 OCT 2017 | Huntley Meadows Park | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

The last photograph is my favorite in this batch.

03 OCT 2017 | Huntley Meadows Park | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

Related Resources

• Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies [Batch 1]
• More Blue-faced Meadowhawk [Batch 2]

Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

More Blue-faced Meadowhawk

Batch 2 (of 4). Please look at the full-size version of each photo.

03 OCT 2017 | Huntley Meadows Park | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

Several male Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum ambiguum) were spotted near a vernal pool at a remote location in Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

03 OCT 2017 | Huntley Meadows Park | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

The last photograph is my favorite in this batch. Which photo is your favorite?

03 OCT 2017 | Huntley Meadows Park | Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male)

Related Resource: Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies [Batch 1].

Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.