Aurora Damsel (mating pair, in heart)

The mating pair of Aurora Damsel (Chromagrion conditum) shown in the following photograph is “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 male — blue, yellow, and black in color — is on top; the female — yellow and black in color — is on the bottom.

The copulatory, or wheel, position is unique to the Odonata, as is the distant separation of the male’s genital opening and copulatory organs. Source Credit: Paulson, Dennis (2011-12-19). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides) (Kindle Locations 377-378). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.

The wheel position is sometimes referred to as “in heart” when damselflies mate.

04 JUN 2019 | PNC. William County, VA | Aurora Damsel (mating pair)

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

It’s helpful to take photos of mating pairs of damselflies, especially “in wheel,” since males and females of the same species can look quite different.

Taxonomy

C. conditum is a monotypic genus in the Family Coenagrionidae (Narrow-winged Damselflies).

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.

Powdered Dancer damselfly (female)

A Powdered Dancer damselfly (Argia moesta) was spotted during a photowalk along a small stream at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

This individual is a female, as indicated by her coloration. Female Powdered Dancers are polymorphic: this is the tan morph; there is also a blue morph that looks somewhat similar to males of the same species.

10 MAY 2017 | HORP | Powdered Dancer (female)

Also notice the female’s abdomen is thicker near the tip than the tip of a male’s abdomen, due to female egg-laying anatomy.

Credits

Sincere thanks to Michael Boatwright, founder and administrator of the Virginia Odonata Facebook group, for help in identifying this specimen. My tentative identification, recorded in field notes dated 10 May 2017, proved to be incorrect.

I’m comfortable identifying some members of two of the three families of damselflies that occur in the mid-Atlantic states (USA), including Family Calopterygidae (Broad-winged Damselflies) and Family Lestidae (Spreadwings). Most members of the Family Coenagrionidae (Narrow-winged Damselflies), not so much.

I remember clearly the time when I was learning to identify dragonflies. I was more than a little confused at first. With persistence, the puzzle pieces started to fall into place sooner than I expected. Same story when I started learning to identify odonate exuviae. Never happened with damselflies, for whatever reason.

Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Blue-fronted Dancers (male, female)

Male

A Blue-fronted Dancer damselfly (Argia apicalis) was spotted near Mulligan Pond at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

This individual is a male, as indicated by the pattern of blue coloration on his thorax and abdomen, plus the blue coloration on abdominal segments eight through 10 (S8-10).

25 SEP 2016 | Jackson Miles Abbott WR | Blue-fronted Dancer (male)

Female

Several Blue-fronted Dancers were spotted during a photowalk along Accotink Creek/Great Blue Heron Trail at Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge (ABWR), Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

The first individual is a female, as indicated by two field marks.

Eyes brown, darker above; lack of blue in eyes in andromorph good distinction from male. Source Credit: Paulson, Dennis (2011-12-19). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides) (Kindle Locations 3451-3452). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.

Female Blue-fronted Dancers are polymorphic: andromorph females are blue like males; heteromorph females are brown-green. Andromorph females tend to be a lighter shade of blue than males of the same species.

This individual is a blue andromorph. Regardless of the color morph…

females never have blue on the last abdominal segments (S8-10). Source Credit: Michael Boatwright, founder and administrator of the Virginia Odonata Facebook group.

02 AUG 2016 | ABWR | Blue-fronted Dancer (female)

More males

Two male Blue-fronted Dancers were spotted at Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge.

02 AUG 2016 | ABWR | Blue-fronted Dancer (male)

02 AUG 2016 | ABWR | Blue-fronted Dancer (male)

Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

You look Familiar

A Familiar Bluet damselfly (Enallagma civile) was spotted during a photowalk along one of many trails at Occoquan Regional Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

08 JUN 2018 | Occoquan Regional Park | Familiar Bluet (male)

This individual is a male, as indicated by the pattern of coloration on his abdomen. Female E. civile is polymorphic, including two morphs: tan; and blue. Female blue morphs have a different pattern of black and blue markings on their abdomen than males of the same species.

Editor’s Note

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

Related Resource: Familiar Bluet damselfly (female).

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Polymorphism or old age?

Some species of female odonates are polymorphic, meaning females can be one of two or more colors. In contrast, some species of female odonates become discolored with age.

The thorax and abdomen of female Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum vicinum) can be either tan or red. The difference in color is the result of either polymorphism or age-related discoloration. More research is required to establish cause and effect.

Several tan and red female Autumn Meadowhawks were spotted during a recent photowalk at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Prince William County, Virginia USA.

Tan

This individual is a tan female, as indicated by her terminal appendages and noticeably thicker abdomen than males of the same species.

19 OCT 2017 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Autumn Meadowhawk (tan female)

Red

The following individuals are red females.

19 OCT 2017 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Autumn Meadowhawk (tan female)

19 OCT 2017 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Autumn Meadowhawk (tan female)

Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Springtime Darner (terminal appendages)

Male and female Springtime Darner dragonflies (Basiaeschna janata) are colored similarly sometimes. Terminal appendages can be used to identify gender.

Male

Male dragonflies have three terminal appendages, collectively called “claspers,” that are used to grab and hold female dragonflies during mating: an upper pair of cerci (“superior appendages”); and a lower unpaired epiproct (“inferior appendage”).

A male Springtime Darner was spotted along a mid-size rocky stream located at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park (HORP), Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

03 MAY 2017 | HORP | Springtime Darner (male)

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

Female

Female dragonflies have a pair of cerci (superior appendages) that have little or no function.

Female Springtime Darners are polymorphic: the spots on their abdomen are either blue (andromorphic) or green (heteromorphic); this female — spotted at a remote location in Huntley Meadows Park (HMP) — is a blue andromorph.

15 APR 2016 | HMP | Springtime Darner (female, blue andromorph)

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

Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Powdered Dancer (males, female)

A Powdered Dancer damselfly (Argia moesta) was spotted during a photowalk along a mid-size rocky stream in Fairfax County, Virginia USA. This individual is a male, as indicated by his terminal appendages. There is a whitish-blue morph female Powdered Dancer, therefore the male’s whitish-blue coloration is insufficient to identify its gender.

21 JUN 2017 | Fairfax County, VA | Powdered Dancer (male)

A week later, a mating pair of Powdered Dancers was spotted along the Potomac River at Riverbend Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA. This pair is “in tandem“: the male is on the upper-left; the female on the lower-right.

28 JUN 2017 | Riverbend Park | Powdered Dancers (mating pair, in tandem)

The male is “contact guarding” the female as the pair flies “in tandem” to egg-laying sites where the female uses her ovipositor to insert eggs into vegetation (endophytic oviposition).

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.

Female Powdered Dancers are polymorphic, including a whitish-blue andromorph and a brown heteromorph. The brown morph, shown in this pair, is more common than whitish-blue.

28 JUN 2017 | Riverbend Park | Powdered Dancers (mating pair, in tandem)

Did you notice the male Stream Bluet damselfly (Enallagma exsulans) perching near the Powdered Dancers? Thanks to Karen Kearney and Michael Boatwright, members of the Virginia Odonata Facebook group, for confirming my tentative identification of the Stream Bluet.

Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Blue-fronted Dancer (male, female)

Many Blue-fronted Dancer damselflies (Argia apicalis) were spotted along Bull Run, Hemlock Overlook Regional Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

Male

The first individual is a male, as indicated by his terminal appendages.

21 JUN 2017 | Fairfax County, VA | Blue-fronted Dancer (male)

There is a blue morph female Blue-fronted Dancer, therefore the male’s blue coloration is insufficient to identify its gender.

21 JUN 2017 | Fairfax County, VA | Blue-fronted Dancer (male)

Female

Female Blue-fronted Dancers are polymorphic, including a blue andromorph and a brown heteromorph, shown below. Thanks to Ken Larsen, member of the Virginia Odonata Facebook group, for help in identifying this individual.

21 JUN 2017 | Fairfax County, VA | Blue-fronted Dancer (heteromorph female)

Related Resources:

• Blue-fronted Dancer damselfly (female) – a blog post by Walter Sanford featuring a blue andromorph female.
• Damselfly Species Menu – Explore with Images, by Ken Larsen

Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Springtime Darner dragonfly (male)

(✔︎) Springtime Darner dragonfly (Basiaeschna janata).

Well, now that I’ve seen a Springtime Darner, I can stop hunting for the species this year. Huh? I saw one Springtime Darner in 2015 (my first) and another one in 2016, both females. Apparently, Mother Nature allows me to see one and only one Springtime Darner per year. So check-off Springtime Darner from my target list of species for 2017 and move along, nothing more to see here folks. But seriously, hope springs eternal so I’ll keep looking for this somewhat elusive species.

03 MAY 2017 | Fairfax County, VA | Springtime Darner (male)

This Springtime Darner is a handsome male, as indicated by his terminal appendages and indented hind wings. (The former field mark is shown more clearly than the latter.) The blue coloration along its abdomen also indicates this individual is a male, although less reliably than other field marks since female Springtime Darners are polymorphic including blue and green morphs.

Look closely at the full-size version of the preceding photo — there’s some wild stuff going on in his eyes!

The Backstory

During the dragonfly-hunting “off season,” I had a hunch that a new location in Fairfax County, Virginia USA might be a good place to find some of the more uncommon species of odonates. On 03 May 2017, I visited the spot for the first time. I hiked in and began exploring a mid-size stream. After approximately 30-45 minutes of intensive searching, I hadn’t seen any dragonflies or damselflies and was thinking about moving on to another tried-and-true ode-hunting location.

Fortunately, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye that made me stop: a dragonfly that was perching near the ground made a quick, low flight to a new perch. I didn’t see the exact spot where it landed, but I had an idea of the area where it might be. Turns out it was a male Stream Cruiser dragonfly. The male Springtime Darner (featured in this post) was the next dragonfly I spotted soon afterward. Then it’s like the flood gates opened and I saw lots of other odonates including a new species of dragonfly for my life list.

So what’s the take-away from this experience? It’s a cliche, but persistence pays dividends — don’t give up too soon! Oh, and follow your hunches, otherwise you’ll never know whether you are right. Speaking of hunches, I have a good hunch I’ll revisit the new site soon.