Stealthy spider stalks Swift Setwing

There I was, trying to create some Odonart©.

18 AUG 2020 | 12:02:18 PM | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

As I “worked the shot,” the imaginary soundtrack in my mind reminded me of the music bed at the beginning of Bambi Meets Godzilla. Peaceful. And just as suddenly as the animated film ends rudely, the idyllic scene before my eyes took a turn for the ugly!

Cue the Jaws Theme Song as the walk-on music for a Long-jawed Orb Weaver.

18 AUG 2020 | 12:03:10 PM | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

52 seconds of elapsed time could have been the difference between life and death for the dragonfly. As far as I know, the Swift Setwing survived this near-death experience.

The Backstory

A Swift Setwing dragonfly (Dythemis velox) was spotted during a photowalk with Michael Powell around Mulligan Pond at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge (JMAWR) in Fairfax County, Virginia USA. This individual is a male, as indicated by his terminal appendages.

The first photo was taken when the dragonfly landed on a grass stem near the shoreline of the pond. Soon afterward his wings were “set” forward in the position from which the latter part of its common name is derived, as shown in the last photo. It is assumed by the author that the set wing position enables the dragonfly to take flight swiftly — a useful adaptation when being stalked by a stealthy spider!

Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Odonart©

18 AUG 2020 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

The Odonart© Exhibit is located in one wing of the ARThropod Gallery. (See what I did there?) My Odonart© Portfolio is featured in the exhibit.

The Backstory

A Swift Setwing dragonfly (Dythemis velox) was spotted during a photowalk with Michael Powell around Mulligan Pond at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge (JMAWR) in Fairfax County. Virginia USA. This individual is a male, as indicated by his terminal appendages.

The Dragonflies of Northern Virginia Calendar of Flight Periods by Kevin Munroe, former manager at Huntley Meadows Park, doesn’t include Swift Setwing because the species was unknown to occur in Northern Virginia before it was discovered on 24 June 2016 in Fairfax County by my good friend Michael Powell. Years later, we’re still gathering data for this relative newcomer to the region.

Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Up close and personal

A single Swift Setwing dragonfly (Dythemis velox) was spotted during a photowalk around Mulligan Pond at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge (JMAWR), Fairfax County, Virginia USA. This individual is a male, as indicated by his terminal appendages.

18 SEP 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

The preceding photograph is the “scene setter” for this gallery. I like to get as close as possible to the subject, and this guy was an extraordinarily cooperative model.

18 SEP 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

18 SEP 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

18 SEP 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

18 SEP 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

18 SEP 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Late-season Swift Setwing dragonflies

Several Swift Setwing dragonflies (Dythemis velox) were spotted during a photowalk around Mulligan Pond, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge (JMAWR), Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

05 SEP 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (mature male)

Both individuals featured in this post are mature males, as indicated by their terminal appendages, discolored abdomen, and tattered wings.

05 SEP 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (mature male)

05 SEP 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (mature male)

Adult Flight Period for Swift Setwing

“Late-season Swift Setwing dragonflies,” the title of this blog post, implies that the adult flight period for this species in Northern Virginia is well known. It isn’t.

The Dragonflies of Northern Virginia Calendar of Flight Periods by Kevin Munroe, former manager at Huntley Meadows Park, doesn’t include Swift Setwing because the species was unknown to occur in Northern Virginia before it was discovered on 24 June 2016 in Fairfax County by my good friend Michael Powell. One year later, we’re still gathering data for this newcomer to the region.

The adult flight period for Swift Setwing in the Commonwealth of Virginia is from 20 June to 02 October, according to records maintained by Steven M. Roble, Ph.D., Staff Zoologist, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage.

September is in fact late-season for Swift Setwing, based upon state records — a fact underscored by qualitative observations of the appearance of males photographed in early August and early September at the same location.

Post Update

I just realized Mike Powell spotted the First Swift Setwing in 2017 on 19 June 2017 at Mulligan Pond — a new early date for this species in Virginia!

Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Swift Setwing dragonflies (males)

Several Swift Setwing dragonflies (Dythemis velox) were spotted at Mulligan Pond, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge (JMAWR), Fairfax County, Virginia USA. All of the individuals in this gallery are male, as indicated by their terminal appendages.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

The photos in the first set were taken using my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 superzoom bridge camera plus Canon 580EX Speedlite, my go-to kit for photowalking. Many of these photos are uncropped; some of the images were cropped slightly in order to improve composition.

Male Swift Setwings prefer perching on low vegetation overlooking water. The first two photos show males perching briefly away from the shoreline.

02 AUG 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

02 AUG 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

I think the next two photos are strong candidates for my Odonart© Portfolio. What do you think?

02 AUG 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

02 AUG 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

The last two photos were taken within minutes of each other using two different camera kits. Is that a head-tilt I see below?

02 AUG 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

Fujifilm X-T1

02 AUG 2017 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

The last photo in this gallery was taken using my Fujifilm X-T1 digital camera, Fujinon XF55-200mm zoom lens plus a Fujifilm 11mm extension tube, and Fujifilm EF-X500 shoe mount flash. The lens was set for a focal length of 200mm (~300mm, 35mm equivalent).

The camera was set for an aperture of f/11. I forgot to decrease the aperture to f/16 (one of the lessons learned from recent field testing), although depth of field wasn’t an issue from this viewpoint of the dragonfly.

Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Making new friends

Swift Setwing dragonfly (Dythemis velox) was discovered recently at Mulligan Pond, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge (JMAWR) — the first official record of Swift Setwing in Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

This is the most widespread of the North American setwings and it is apparently continuing to expand its range. Source Credit: Swift Setwing, Odonata Central Field Guide, Dragonfly Society of the Americas.

The following photographs were taken two days later at the same location.

Male 1

26 JUN 2016 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

26 JUN 2016 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

Male 2

26 JUN 2016 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (male)

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

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”).

Female

The last individual is a female, as indicated by her terminal appendages. Female dragonflies have a pair of cerci (superior appendages) that have little or no function.

26 JUN 2016 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (female)

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

Notice the female has two malformed wings.

26 JUN 2016 | JMAWR | Swift Setwing (female)

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

Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.