Sharonville SGA in early June

During the first week of June (3 and 6)  I checked a few locations of Sharonville SGA for new county records in Jackson County or additional ranges for species in Washtenaw County.

The hills and fields east of Prospect Hill Road and north of Sharon Valley Road in Washtenaw County provide many great upland areas to search for odes.

There were many female Spatterdock Darners (R. mutata) working the area and roadway, which is the county line.

face of a Spatterdock Darner (R. mutata)

female Spatterdock Darner (R. mutata)

Another open space area in Jackson County is located south of Fishville Road near where it turns north.  There are woodland edges, open fields, and nearby lakes.

Chalk-fronted Corporals (L. julia) were numerous and a few Frosted Whitefaces (L. frigida) were amongst the crowd.

Chalk-fronted Corporal (L. julia)

male Frosted Whiteface (L. frigida)

female abdomen of Frosted Whiteface (L. frigida)

Surprisingly, only one Four-spotted Skimmer (L. quadrimaculata) was found.

female Four-spotted Skimmer (L. quadrimaculata)

While searching through the shrubbery, I flushed a Lilypad Clubtail (A. furcifer) and hoped it wasn't the only individual in the area.  A bit searching turned up an additional male and female.

male Lilypad Clubtail (A. furcifer)

lateral view of claspers - male Lilypad Clubtail (A. furcifer)

dorsal view of cerci - male Lilypad Clubtail (A. furcifer)

female Lilypad Clubtail (A. furcifer)

dorsal view of abdomen - female Lilypad Clubtail (A. furcifer)

Another easily accessible area is north of Fishville Road and SW of Tamarack Lake.  There are clearings in the forest and adjacent to bog/wetlands which provide great perching and hunting areas for dragonflies.

A nice find was this Dusky Clubtail (G. spicatus):

male Dusky Clubtail (G. spicatus)

cerci of male Dusky Clubtail (G. spicatus)

Then a Swamp Darner flew by while working the edges of the woods and perched within net reach on a tree.  These are big darners and fairly easy to identify on the wing (even at a distance).

male Swamp Darner (E. heros)

Before departing I decided to check out the short dock at Tamarack Lake.  Soon after arriving a Cyrano Darner (N. pentacantha) flew by while working the edge of the lake.  2015 seems to be a good year for this species since I've found them at a few locations.  More individuals than I had seen in the the previous several years combined.

male Cyrano Darner (N. pentacantha)

I'll have to check these upland areas throughout the flight season.  The variety of habitats are sure to host many other species.