Fawn Darner dragonfly (male)

A Fawn Darner dragonfly (Boyeria vinosa) was spotted, netted, and released unharmed along the Little Patuxent River in the North Tract of Patuxent Research Refuge, Anne Arundel County, Maryland USA.

02 SEP 2012 | Patuxent Research Refuge | Fawn Darner (male)

This individual is a male, as indicated by the secondary genitalia (hamules) located on the underside of abdominal segments two-three (2-3).

02 SEP 2012 | Patuxent Research Refuge | Fawn Darner (male)

Thanks to Louisa Craven, my good friend and photowalking buddy, for holding the specimen in the first two photos while I used her Apple iPhone 4S to take photos. This was our first “stream walk” in search of dragonflies and damselflies and both of us were afraid to carry our camera gear as we waded in the river.

02 SEP 2012 | Patuxent Research Refuge | Fawn Darner (male)

The Backstory

I posted these photos in my Project Noah Nature Journal two days after an Audubon Naturalist Society field trip to the North Tract of the Patuxent Research Refuge, led by Richard Orr, renowned expert on odonates of the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

Some of the photos from the Project Noah “spotting” were added to my photoblog in order to backfill my Life List of Odonates to include a record of an adult Fawn Darner.

Related Resources

• Fawn Darner dragonfly (male) – Project Noah
• Audubon Naturalist Society Nature Classes and Field Trips

Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Bluebells

What do you call bluebells growing in Maryland? That’s right, Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)!

22 APR 2019 | Patuxent Research Refuge | Virginia Bluebells

The preceding photograph shows Virginia Bluebells growing in a meadow alongside the Little Patuxent River at the North Tract of Patuxent Research Refuge, Anne Arundel County, Maryland USA. The flowers seem to be a little past peak.

I’m aware of three locations where Virginia Bluebells are prolific every spring during the month of April, and probably not coincidentally, all three locations are stream valleys. As is often the case with where plants and animals are found, it’s all about habitat, habitat, habitat!

By the way, the three locations are Riverbend Park and Hemlock Overlook Regional Park in Fairfax County, Virginia USA, and now Patuxent Research Refuge in Anne Arundel County, Maryland USA. Riverbend Park charges a fee to view the bluebells during an annual festival; the nature show is free at the other two locations.

Related Resource: Virginia Bluebells, a blog post by Walter Sanford.

Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Little Patuxent River

Sometimes people ask why I like to hunt and photograph odonates. One answer is illustrated by the following photograph — ode hunting takes me to many picturesque locations like this one!

22 APR 2019 | Patuxent Research Refuge | Little Patuxent River

The preceding photo shows the Little Patuxent River, looking downstream from Bailey Bridge. The bridge is located along Wildlife Loop trail at the North Tract of Patuxent Research Refuge, Anne Arundel County, Maryland USA.

If you look closely at the lower limit of the upper-right quadrant, then you might notice a shadowy figure standing near the bank of the river. That’s either my buddy Mike Powell or a rare sighting of Bigfoot!

Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.