It has been some time since I posted to the blog. Fortunately, Graceanne has taken up some of slack with posts over the past 2-3 months. Normally we would be posting a 'PhotoHunt' theme photo on a Saturday, but, considering the date, I thought I would post something a little different.
The arrival of Valentine's Day brought back memories of some of our favorite visitors during the summer. I have posted about them before, but I just couldn't resist sharing some additional photo's with you. From the moment I saw the first one last summer I thought of Valentine's Day.
These are Calico Pennants. Among the primary features for these dragonflies are the 5 markings down their back. The markings are often 'heart-shaped' and easily identifiable. The red specimen above is the male. The female (below) is yellow or golden in color. You can see that her markings are even more heart-shaped than the particular male above, but we have also seen males with comparable markings. In addition to the markings along the body, these pennants also have distinctive wing markings making them among the most colorful and prettiest of the dragonflies that visit the pond frequently. The wing markings make them great subjects from any direction. Happy Valentine's Day to one and all.
This week's PhotoHunt theme is 'blue' and it wasn't too hard to find a photo with blue in it. The trouble was I have too many with blue. So which should I use?
Well, for pure color in nature I think it is hard to beat dragonflies and damselflies. I've always been amazed by the sharp and brilliant blues, reds, and greens one can see in these little flying marvels. Not surprisingly, many dragons and damsels have common names which include their color. Who can resist those vivid names such as Blue-fronted Dancer, Yellow-legged Ringtail, and Orange Shadowdragon.
Even their group names are fun with names like Darner, Skimmer, PetalTails, and Cruisers. And damselflies even have a whole group known as Bluets.
So damselflies it is. I have found that it is very difficult to identify some of the damsels and dragons, however. There are well over 400 species in the USA alone. (There are over 160 found in our state and probably over 100 in our particular area.) And for each species the male and female may be significantly different in color or some other aspect.
Plus, the juveniles may be even a different color and will change gradually as they mature over their relatively short life stage. When you add all that up and consider that not all the damsels and dragons will necessarily look like the 'specimen' photo's in a field guide you can see that making the correct identification would often be difficult for the layperson.
In any event, it would appear that we will be having plenty of opportunities to check out the damselflies in coming years based on the activity in the following photo's. These are damselflies laying eggs in the shallow water along the edge of the pond. As you can tell we have a healthy population with the promise of more to come. You can find more participants in the hunt at PhotoHunt.
I'm going to miss a lot of the creatures around the pond now that the weather is changing and their summer time has passed. Some have migrated. Some will hibernate. And some, like the fish, basically just slow down for the cold weather and we will not see them as often. Of all those creatures I think I'll probably miss the green herons the most.
This year the green herons have been special. It started back in the spring with the rescue of a trapped green heron as recounted here. That was one of the incidents that prompted the creation of the blog.
Throughout the summer the green herons visited almost daily. At first there were 2 and then 3 when what appeared to be a juvenile arrived. Eventually we seemed to see just 2 at the same time and then primarily just 1.
Green herons are known to wander a bit after breeding so we presume the parents stayed around for some time as their offspring learned the ropes and then departed. Perhaps they lived nearby and brought it to the pond periodically until it was old enough to venture out on its own. Whatever the case, the remaining one that visited often appeared to be an immature bird by its markings. This bird and I spent many hours around the pond together. We were both visitors there, but for different purposes. I was there to capture photographs. It was there to capture its daily meals. Over time it became more accustomed to my presence. It allowed me to come much closer and eventually it even approached me at times. Of course it always maintained a safe distance, but I noted the change. I could tell it was growing much more tolerant and had begun to consider me as a natural fixture around the pond. We were on good terms. Some days I would stay far away and let it hunt in peace. Other days I would approach closer, but I always tried to avoid putting too much pressure on my friend.
Finally it was letting me get close enough to capture some its life around the pond. Often it would hunt mostly along the bank but sometimes it would concentrate its hunting near the cages where many of the small fish congregated. Then all too soon the day came. It wasn't there. Nor was it there the next day. I watched for a week thinking maybe I had just missed it or it had changed its daily schedule. But obviously the time had come for green herons to leave. That mysterious internal clock said it was time to go. It was time to head south.
I hope the heron finds its way back next spring. Maybe by then it will have a mate of its own. And maybe they will bring their young ones by to show them the best places to fish for lunch and teach them by example how to stalk the shallow water for prey.
I've been meaning to post a few more photo's of the flowers, but it seems I keep getting sidetracked by other things. Once it was by Something A Little Different and then the butterflies took over.
Well here are a few shots from recent visits to the neighbor's flower garden. Although I took several with the standard views it seems I have become quite attached to taking a few with the unconventional view so I thought I would share some of those with you. I think they are beautiful from both sides. It seems the Gulf Fritillary found this one irresistible, too.
Back at the beginning of the summer we discovered that we had dozens of dragonflies around, particularly at the pond. Before too long I had dozens (then hundreds) of dragonfly photo's. When you add the damselfly photo's the numbers may now go into the thousands. Of course not all the photo's are of a good quality. And naturally there are quite a few that are virtually duplicates of others. I will often take multiple shots of one perched as I am approaching closer so the numbers add up fast. I realized that I had so many photo's that I might be tempted to flood the blog with dragonfly and damselfly posts and photo's at the expense of other things going on around the pond so I elected to limit my dragon and damsel posts to once a week on Monday.
Well the dragonfly and damselfly season is slowly coming to a close. There are still some around and I am still observing them and taking photo's of course. But, now that the season is closing, I figured I might as well retire the Monday Dragon/Damsel post. I will still be adding Dragon/Damsel posts in the future, but just not on a weekly schedule. Actually this will give me a chance to catch up on researching some of the behaviors I have observed and putting names with some of the species I have seen and captured.
Today I thought I would share with you a few of the butterflies we were able to capture last week at the neighbor's flower garden. We haven't seen many butterflies this summer. Well, I should say we haven't seen many congregations of butterflies. We see butterflies often, but normally they are individuals cruising about and they often don't stay in one general area long enough to track them down and get a photo. On a couple of recent visits to the flower garden I have had a bit better luck though. There were quite a few butterflies around. The most numerous were the Gulf Fritillary. We had not seen any earlier in the summer, but all of a sudden several showed up. As a matter of fact, one day while I was there they all showed up within a matter of minutes as though they were traveling as a group. I understand that the Gulf Fritillary is a migratory butterfly so we think the sudden arrival of several may mean they are just passing through. Whether they were residents or just passing through it was a great opportunity for a few colorful photo's. I found it really hard to pick a favorite. I eventually decided just to make a collection with a couple of those above plus a couple of more. Of course it is best viewed enlarged. And one more thing. I want to thank our neighbor for planting all those colorful flowers out where we can all enjoy them.
I decided I better make a few more visits to the neighbor's flower garden with my camera before cold weather sneaks up on me. Actually we should have a few more weeks, but you how it is when you put things off. Before you know it there is a sudden frost and those flowers begin to go.
So here are a few of the beautiful flowers and plants we have been enjoying this summer. There are always a few of these below growing wild along the edge of the pond and hanging out over the water. I've always loved these large leaves below with the curved veins in so many colors. I didn't realize until I downloaded the photo that I had also captured a small lizard. I imagine a surface like that would complicate being able to change colors to hide but I guess he was doing OK since I did not see him. I think this last one may be my favorite of the day. You may recognize it as one of the flowers I used in the 'Something A Little Different' post last week. We made another visit yesterday and I was able to capture a few photo's of butterflies among the flowers. Look for an upcoming post on that visit.
I very seldom change a photo very much prior to posting. Of course I do crop them quite often to show the primary subject and maybe do a minor bit of adjustment to the lighting and such if needed. I stay away from anything more than that with the exception of some of the photo's of fish and turtles underwater. Those often have to be adjusted a bit more to remove the glare and reflection of the water or there would be nothing to show.
Recently, however, I was playing around with some photo's checking out a few of the added features available in the new Picasa3 software. Of course they are modest compared to what one could do with a full-blown image editing program, but they can produce some interesting effects for playing around with. Picasa3 includes some new editing features such as a modest retouch capability and features related to working with collages.
Mostly I was using them with flower photo's I had just downloaded and I think some of the results were interesting so I decided to share them on the blog. The collage feature was interesting also. Here's a very simple one, but of course you can make them much more complex with multiple photo's and a variety of orientations. Actually I didn't do as much editing on this next photo, but I particularly liked it so I thought I would include it also. I think it looks more like a painting than a photo. If you have access to one of these programs (and there are many that are free, by the way) you should try them out. You don't have to be an editing expert by any means, but you may find a feature that can turn a photograph from a dud to a keeper.
I guess it is part of the life cycle of the various species, but I have been seeing fewer dragonflies lately and more damselflies at the pond. Interestingly though, I have seen some new dragonflies, but I will leave that for another post.
Anyway, with fewer dragons I've been spending more time observing the damsels. I have posted a few photo's of damselflies mating and laying eggs, but I thought I would share a few more.
Each of the species has its own specific requirements and behavior in breeding and depositing eggs. Many of the pond damselflies, however, share a similar process. I will not bore you with the technical aspects, but basically when mating the male will actually attach himself to the female by grasping her behind the head with appendages on the end of his body. The female will then curl up under the male bringing the tip of her body into contact with the male to fertilize her eggs. This position is often called a 'wheel'. Ironically, in many species the mating position happens to resemble a heart, but I doubt love has much to do with this whole procedure. Often the pair will remain attached for some time and fly 'in tandem'. Frequently the male will maintain the hold on the female as the pair lands and the female deposits the eggs. This could be on plants or directly in the water, but most that I observe are actually in the water of the pond primarily within floating vegetation. Basically the male remains attached to ensure that the female does not mate with a competitor prior to laying the eggs. The positions both the male and female can maintain are fascinating. The long, slender body originally looks very rigid in a solitary damselfly. However, it is made up of segments with joints in between which can bend producing some very interesting positions.
I was able to take a few videos of a pair depositing eggs in the floating plant matter along the edge of the pond. The first one is interesting in that it shows how they sometimes hop from spot to spot.
Check out some of the other creatures, also. You can see how much life is all around in the pond. You can see the various insects that are continually moving along on top of the water and if you watch the clear water off to the side you will see numerous small fish swimming by. And keep in mind that those bugs and small fish will give you an idea of the size of the damselflies. These are not the smallest ones, but they certainly aren't very large.
Please Note: These videos include audio that can be adjusted on the videos. The audio is not excessively loud, but you may want to adjust the initial volume settings depending on your situation. Damselflies Ovipositing from BakerWatson on Vimeo.
This second video is a bit shorter but it includes some interesting views of the female dipping much of her body into the water to lay the eggs more deeply.
By the way, some of the background sound you may hear in the video is not the wings flapping or anything interesting like that. It's just a tractor. One of the neighbors was cutting grass in a field nearby. Also, you may note that the male is flapping his wings rather vigorously at times when the two are stationary. This is primarily due to a strong breeze requiring him to flap his wings to keep the pair balanced and in one place.
This week's PhotoHunt theme of 'beautiful' was perhaps one of the easiest for me. I will admit I cheated just a tiny bit on my normal pattern of trying to use photo's from around the pond. Now it was just a little bit. This particular photo was taken at a nearby outdoor produce market that also sells flowering plants. I didn't feel too bad about the 'cheating' since I had the camera with me only because I had been out taking pond photo's just before we went to the market. Once there I happened to see a couple of butterflies flitting around the flowers and retrieved the camera to try to capture a few shots. I was lucky this Red-Spotted Purple stayed around just long enough for a few good captures.
Also, I have several photo's of this species around the pond, but almost all of them are from above. This species generally prefers to feed on rotting fruit, decaying plant matter, and such more than flowers so it is seen landing on the ground most frequently and often keeps its wings spread open or partially open. Like many butterflies they have a bad habit of flitting away when one approaches too close.
This particular butterfly moved back and forth between flowers and the ground over and over providing several photo opportunities. Here's a shot of it from above. Normally around the pond they will land on vegetation near the water or even on bare ground. Some species land on the ground to obtain particular minerals they need in their diet I understand. It is amazing how butterflies can look so different when viewed from the top or the bottom, yet each side is equally beautiful in its own way.
As I have previously posted it is fairly easy to tell a dragonfly from a damselfly based either on the placement of the eyes and shape of the head or the way they hold their wings when at rest. To me dragonflies look very similar to one another except for their size, patterns, and colors. Damselflies are a bit different and I think perhaps this confuses some casual observers.
You can generally identify a damselfly by the hammer head shaped appearance produced by its widely separated eyes. A dragonfly's eyes are close together or touching and give the head a round appearance. Damselflies typically have long, tubular bodies compared to dragonflies and most other insects. Plus, both the front and back wings of a particular damselfly are normally of the same size and shape unlike dragonflies. Typically they fold their wings together when perched. That's where part of the problem comes in. Not all damselflies follow the exact same pattern.
Most damselflies have long, thin wings that they fold together and hold more or less parallel to the body like the one above. Some damsels have larger, more paddle-shaped wings. These wings are generally folded together, but due to their size and shape the major portion of the wing extends away from the body. Some wings are so large they actually stand straight up similar to a butterfly with its wings closed. In these species the wings are often very dark and can even appear black. And, at times some of those species might actually open and close their wings while at rest much like the butterfly.
To further complicate matters there is a group of damselflies called 'spreadwings'. Their wings may not be the same size with the rear wings sometimes being much smaller than the front wings. And they are held extended, not folded together. Often they will be at an angle to the body somewhat like a swept-wing fighter with two sets of wings .
Spreadwings are not a large segment of the damselflies. I believe there are 10 or fewer species recorded in our state and some are extremely hard to identify. I believe this is possibly either a Southern Spreadwing or a Carolina Spreadwing. Now, if you add to all of this that some of the damselflies are extremely small you can see why identifying them by species can be difficult for the observer.
Nevertheless, they are extremely interesting to watch. They are quite different from dragonflies in their flight characteristics. Most do not zoom along like the dragons, but are more like butterflies flitting from one perch to another. Some of the smaller, lighter colored damselflies appear to float through the air like tiny ghosts of insects, rising and falling on the smallest breeze.
Some of you may recall the post from a few weeks ago about the dragonflies and damselflies landing on me at times when I am trying to photograph them. In that post I included a photo of a Calico Pennant(Celithemis elisa). We don't see too many of the Calico Pennants around the pond, but when we do they are always a treat.
This one is evidently a mature male. They are not very large compared to most of the other dragonflies around the pond, but they are easily recognized. The red color is striking on the body and wings. And check out the little heart-shaped markings along the top of the abdomen. Those are a primary marking identifying the species.Male dragonflies often tend to hang around breeding grounds waiting for females. Since we see the Calico infrequently I presume there are not a lot of them in the immediate vicinity.
From the time we researched and identified the male Calico over 6 weeks ago I have been looking for a female Calico. The photo's we saw on line were very striking. I figured if one showed up it would be easy to spot since they are marked much like the adult male, but in gold as opposed to the red.
Finally one showed up. Well, at least I think it is a female.... The problem is I found out that the immature males can also be golden in color and very similar to the females. Like many dragonflies, particularly males it seems, they change color as they mature. I'm not sure I know enough about the species to definitely say this is a female. I guess I will have to do some further research.
Although there was a mature male around I never did see them in close proximity to one another. I did note that this one did not generally approach the water whereas the males seem to prefer short twigs right at the water's edge to perch on. These golden ones stayed mostly in the short grass on the banks maybe 3-4 feet from the water.
I have seen both of them in the short grass around the pond also. You can tell by this photo that they are a bit difficult to spot in the grass, especially the yellow ones. (Go to the center of the photo and then down and to the right just a bit to find it.) Immature male or female, it is still a beautiful little creature. Personally, I'm hoping it is a female of course, and that it will make a suitable 'Love Connection'. We could use a lot more of these around in the coming years.
I mentioned in my Dragons and Damsels post last Monday that I have been trying to take a few videos to post here on the blog. I haven't yet been able to get a satisfactory video of the damselflies which I really wanted, but I did get one of a dragonfly that I hope you will enjoy.
I don't see this particular species down at the pond very often. I think it was only the 2nd or 3rd time I had seen it and been able to get a photo. If I'm not mistaken it is a Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina). Actually it is a relatively common dragonfly, but I have not run across many of them in the immediate vicinity.
Normally most of the dragonflies I see perched on sticks and branches remain fairly still and in one position. All dragonflies hold their wings outstretched as opposed to most damselflies who fold their wings together. Some species of dragons may fold their outstretched wings forward almost as though they are wrapping them around their head. If there is a strong breeze the dragons may shift about a bit and adjust their wings to maintain their balance on a perch. Other than that there is not a lot of movement once they settle in.
I was really surprised at the movement of this dragonfly in the video. It continued to move and shift its position almost continuously even though there was only a moderate breeze and other species of dragonflies on nearby perches were relatively still. And it held its wings at a much higher angle to the body than do most of the dragons I have been observing. (By the way, watch for the other dragonflies passing in the background, too.)
Please Note: This video includes audio that can be adjusted on the video. It is not excessively loud, but you may want to adjust the initial volume settings depending on your situation.
In researching the species I came across an interesting comment on BugGuide. "Frequently seen perched on weeds in fields as it forages, pivoting with the wind." Perhaps this pivoting motion is a special characteristic of this species.
Whatever the reason for the constant pivoting it was interesting and gave me an opportunity to capture a variety of shots from different points of view without ever having to change positions.
Every few days I take a stroll across the road to visit our neighbor's pond and capture a few shots of dragonflies and damselflies plus a few other creatures. It also gives me a chance to capture a few of her beautiful flowers and plants which are always a treat.
I really love how big and colorful they are. Not just the flowers, but the leaves and plants as a whole.
I like to try to visit after a rain when I can. The air is so clear and the water droplets can provide such great subjects for a quick shot or two.
Of course I always snap off a couple of shots of the crape myrtle at the head of our pond on the way back. They were originally planted along the road when it was new, but eventually the area became overgrown. Many of the crape myrtles survived the intrusion of the vines and other growth and now their bright blooms poke out almost at random in the very natural setting.
It seems to me that I take many more photo's of dragonflies than damselflies. I think that is because the dragonflies are more prominent immediately around the pond. Most of the damselflies I see at the pond are the smaller ones and they tend to visit areas of the pond that are in the shade. They are much more prevalent in the later afternoon and early evening when most of the dragonflies have left.
When I leave the pond and venture into the woods and down the streams nearby, however, I run into a much wider variety of damselflies and fewer dragonflies. The damsels tend to prefer shady type areas dappled with a bit of sun. Many of them also prefer to perch on leaves and blades of grass compared to the dragons who often go for more sturdy perches such as sticks and limbs.
When the damsels perch on leaves in a spot of sunlight they provide excellent opportunities for some interesting shots. This is one of my favorite photo's. The dark wings and body are almost invisible in this small version of the photo, but I find the shadow it casts on the leaves enchanting. (Open in a larger view for better look at the damselfly itself.)
Damselflies also tend to vary more in size and wing characteristics than the dragonflies around the pondand fields here. Many are even much smaller than this golden beauty and have amazing arrays of colors.
And, as an added bonus, damsels are often seen in unusual positions with their bodies bent at one or more of the several joints. Often this is related to mating or the laying of eggs. I'm working on getting some video of both damsels and dragons to share with you in future posts so be sure to check back with us. I've already shot several test videos and I'm improving, but I want to wait until I get some great takes before posting them.
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