Plagiatus central

Today, Nannothemis and I did another dragonfly survey at Humbug Marsh of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge near Trenton, Michigan.

The Common Green Darner (Anax junius) swarm was spectacular with 100's in the air at any point in time. There were also a couple other species flying with them such as Wandering Glider (Pantela flavascens) and Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata).

We found a few Shadow Darners (Aeshna umbrosa), doing what they do in the shadows.

However, the highlight of the afternoon was the number of Russet-tipped Clubtails (Stylurus plagiatus). During a one-hour survey in the vicinity of the Detroit River, 91 individuals were found perched on the various woody plants, mountain mint, and this Cottonwood.

This is the largest population of this species that we've found and Nannothemis has posted a request for any information of other populations in the latest Williamsonia (newsletter of the Michigan Odonata Survey).

A couple more Oregon odes

Unfortunately, Nannothemis and I didn't find many dragonflies while in the Portland, OR area. Here are a couple other individuals we photographed.

An unidentified female Spreadwing (Lestes sp.):

More Pacific Forktails (Ischnura cervula), such as this female:

...and finally, here is one of the few Eight-spotted Skimmers (Libellula forensis):

Urban Portland Odes

Nannothemis and I are attending the AOU conference in Portland, OR. We are managing some time to look for insects, but with limited success.

Yesterday, we visited the Portland Audubon office/store in Forest Park. This park is the largest urban forest reserve in the US. The sanctuary near the Audubon facilities includes a pond next to Balch Creek.

We were immediately treate with a couple of male Cardinal Meadowhawks (Sympetrum illotum) fighting over their small territories.

Here's one obelisking.


We also saw several Pacific Forktails (Ischnura cervula).
Here are a couple photos of males.




...and a female

We also saw one or two darners patrolling the pond, but we never could get a decent look for an ID.

Tomorrow we should have time to check an area or two near the Columbia River. Hopefully, we'll find more species.

The Smallest Damselfly

On July 26, Nannothemis and I decided to check a couple locations of northwest Wayne County. There is rapid development in the area. Woodlots and wetlands are cleared, subdivisions are laid out, some houses are built then foreclosed upon. Or as it was in this location, office parks are defined, buildings are erected, then stand empty for years waiting for tenants. It's always depressing to check these areas, but we feel we have to make an effort to check them since some unique habitat was once present and may still be hanging on.

We visited a water retention basin in an office park that has held interesting dragonflies in recent years including Sedge Sprite (Nehalennia irene), Eastern Red Damselfly (Amphiagrion saucium), and Elfin Skimmer (Nannothemis bella). We've previously heard there is a small fen or bog nearby, but we've never been able to find it. One of the retention ponds holds water year-round since it is fed by a small trickle, but it has been filling in with vegetation over the years.

This weekend we were treated with a few Lyre-tipped Spreadwings (Lestes unguiculatus).

Here's the reason for its name:

A few Fragile Forktails (Ischnura posita) were present including some females with blue markings:

However, the best find was the couple dozen Citrine Forktails (Ischnura hastata). This population has persisted for a few years.
Here are a couple photos showing the bi-colored stigma.



Unfortunately, this pond may fill in with vegetation during the coming years, such as the encroaching phragmites. We typically find this smallest US damselfly species in shallow water with short sedges or grass.

Later in the afternoon, we stopped by the only known location in Michigan (a retail/restaurant complex) for the largest US damselfly. However, we didn't find any Great Spreadwings (Archilestes grandis) since it's still a bit early in the season for them.

Another county, More records

Nannothemis and I decided to head down to Monroe County on July 20th. We wanted to investigate some potential locations along the Raisin River near Monroe, Michigan for Russet-tipped Clubtail (Stylurus plagiatus).

Our initial stop was Waterloo Park, which is west of Monroe. This park has great access to the river but not quite the same structure for Stylurus as we've seen previously. However, we did find insect activity along the banks of the river.
I immediately snagged a Prince Baskettail (Epitheca princeps):


Updates to Monroe County's odonata list from this stop included...

- Stream Bluet (Enallagma exsulans) - previous record was from 1917
- Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita) - 1st county record
- and this Eastern/Common Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) - only a previous sight record


Our next stop was at the Navarre-Anderson Trading Post which is the oldest surviving wooden structure in Michigan and is just upstream from Waterloo Park.
Dancers (Argia sp.) and Stream Bluets (Enallagma exsulans) were numerous.
The most significant sighting was a pair of Blue-ringed Dancers (Argia sedula). These hadn't been previously recorded for the county.


Our last stop of the day was Munson Park which is located next to Custer Airport. This park has a pond, playground equipment, and soccer fields at the front end of the property. However, at the north end of the park is a large woodlot, an overgrown ditch/creek, and adjacent fields with wildflowers. During visits in previous years, we've found both Macromia species, Citrine Forktail (Ischnura hastata), and a likely Mocha Emerald (Somatochlora linearis). This visit also held surprises.

Immediately upon arriving at the overgrown ditch, I was greeted with several Common Whitetails (Libellula lydia) with a male Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans) sitting amongst them. (New county record!)


Unfortunately the big male flew away and I quickly searched the ditch to find more individuals. There were at least 3 males and 5 females/young males along a 100m length.
After a few minutes, I was able to snag one of the males for the 1st county voucher and the 6th for the state.
It's always fun to have excitement immediately upon arrival at a location. We didn't even explore the more interesting habitat of the forest and the fields.

We'll have to make it to Monroe County again since we didn't find any Stylurus on this trip. ...There is so much to find and learn in these under censused counties.