Male dragonflies of the same species are natural rivals, competing for the attention of females that are willing to mate. Like many, if not most other species of dragonflies, male Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies stake out a “territory” near prime spots for females to lay eggs (oviposition); unlike many, if not most other species, male Autumn Meadowhawks don’t seem to defend their territory aggressively.
Notice the male shown on the upper-left is using his front legs like windshield wipers to clean his eyes and face. Hey, he wants to look well-groomed for the ladies!
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!
In contrast, I saw several Autumn Meadowhawks perched on man-made structures such as a concrete curb in the blacktop parking lot at the refuge. All of the dragonflies were perched on vertical surfaces that received more direct insolation than horizontal surfaces. The parking area seems to be an urban heat island microclimate that exists within a larger natural area.
Male 1
The first individual is a male, as indicated by his terminal appendages. Although the male is missing one of four wings, he was able to fly well enough to move to three different perches along the curb.
The male is on the upper-right; the female on the lower-left. Notice the male dragonfly is using his front legs to groom his eyes and face, while mating. Hey, you want to look good when hooking up!
The photo is cropped slightly in order to remove a few distracting elements near the edges of the photo. In my opinion, nothing says “Autumn Meadowhawk” quite like a photo showing the dragonflies perching on autumn-colored vegetation.
The preceding photo is full-frame (4,000 x 3,000 pixels), giving the viewer a sense of how close I was to the dragonflies. This image — showing the dragonflies perching on tree bark — complements the coloration of the Autumn Meadowhawks but doesn’t convey the same sense of the season as the first photo.
A while later the male damselfly contorted himself into a position that looked like he was doing gymnastics. As it turns out, he was rubbing the tip of his abdomen against his thorax and legs in order to remove the schmutz.
Look closely at the full-size version of the following photo. Notice the schmutz on the male damselfly’s abdomen is gone. Soon afterward, the male flew in the direction of the vernal pool, presumably to look for female mates.
Related Resource:Great Spreadwing damselflies (males, gymnasts) is a blog post by Walter Sanford that includes an embedded video showing similar grooming behaviors. The video features two segments: segment one shows the male damselfly grooming his legs; segment two shows the male grooming his wings by rubbing his abdomen against them.
Editor’s Note: If you check the EXIF for all five photos, then you will see the time stamp is one hour later than the times shown above. 06 November was the first time I used my camera since the end of Daylight Saving Time (at 2:00 a.m. the same day) — I forgot to reset the time in-camera!
The following photos show a Great Spreadwing damselfly (Archilestes grandis) spotted on 08 October 2015, two days after the first Great Spreadwing was observed at a small permanent pond in a remote location at Huntley Meadows Park (HMP). This individual is a male, nicknamed “Mr. Magoo” because of the prominent dark spots in his eyes.
I’m not sure what “Mr. Magoo” was doing in the preceding photo. A novice odonate hunter might be fooled into thinking the damselfly is a female, ovipositing in the grass stem (endophytic oviposition). I speculate the young male was “test-driving” his terminal appendages, with the grass stem serving as a simulation of the neck of a female.
After two seasons of field observation of Great Spreadwing damselflies, I have noticed several males flexing their abdomen like gymnasts. Are they simply stretching, or is this behavior related to a pre-/post-mating ritual? It’s impossible to know for certain, but I’m sure it’s amusing to watch! In particular, notice the unusual “two-step dance” performed by the male featured in the following video.
I’m a fairly accomplished photographer, he said, not too modestly. In contrast, my skills as a videographer are relatively rudimentary as evidenced by the preceding video. My movies usually turn out better when I plan the shoot and use a tripod; in this case, the video clips were shot spontaneously (therefore hand-held) when an opportunity presented itself.
One of my mantras of wildlife photography/videography is “get a shot, any shot; refine the shot.” I wish the preceding video had turned out better. Although I was able to shoot a couple of video clips of this unusual gymnastic routine, there was no opportunity to refine the shots. Oh well, maybe next year!
Editor’s Note: According to Ed Lam, author and illustrator of Damselflies of the Northeast, the damselfly featured in the video is grooming itself.
He appears to be grooming in the video. They can’t reach down to knock off debris, spiderwebs, etc. but they can rub their legs together or against an object. Similarly, the abdomen seems to be contacting the wings. Sometimes you see this behavior after they have been handled and released if they don’t immediately fly away. Source Credit: Ed Lam, Northeast Odonata Facebook group.
It’s fairly simple and straightforward to identify the male- and female members of a mating pair of dragonflies. 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.
Mating Pair No. 2
Don’t be confused — the first photo is actually the second mating pair spotted on 15 October 2015.
The last photo should be captioned: “Mating makes me itch!” Actually, the male dragonfly is using its legs to groom his eyes and face, while mating. Hey, you want to look good when hooking up!
Dragonflies breathe through small holes in the underside of their thorax and abdomen called “spiracles.” Notice the dragonfly’s thorax and abdomen expanding and contracting as she inhales and exhales.
The female appears to be grooming while perching on vegetation, using her front legs to wipe her eyes and face. The author has observed many species of dragonflies engaged in similar behavior.
Tech Tips: The preceding movie looks better viewed in full-screen mode.
The video clips used to create this movie were shot on a very windy day. I used a tripod for my camera and centered the subject in each clip, but the wind caused the dragonfly to drift off-center at times. Not that I’m a perfectionist or anything.
Dragonflies breathe through small holes in the underside of their thorax and abdomen called “spiracles.” Notice the dragonfly’s thorax and abdomen expanding and contracting as she inhales and exhales.
The female appears to be grooming while perching on the warm surface of the boardwalk, using her front legs to wipe her eyes and face. The author has observed many species of dragonflies engaged in similar behavior.
Tech Tip: The preceding video looks better viewed in full-screen mode.
Latest species to fly in northern parts of range, usually until first heavy frosts. Able to maintain activity by constant basking in sun. Source Credit: Paulson, Dennis (2011-12-19). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides) (Kindle Locations 10703-10704). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.
The following female was spotted at Huntley Meadows Park on 06 November 2013. She appears to be grooming while perching on the warm surface of the boardwalk, using her front legs to wipe her eyes and face.
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