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Dragonflies of Utopia  Widow Skimmer |
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The title of this page should be interpreted loosely, to include damselflies and the surrounding area of Utopia, such as Lost Maples and Garner State Park, which is also the the area this website covers for birds and butterflies. It is not a comprehensive list, but my personal sightings. Most of this webpage is the first year of observations, in 2004, only a few species have been inserted since. 
Flame Skimmer - 1st Uvalde Co. photo on my car antenna! August 7, 2005, 2 mi. W. of Utopia. Here I will list what Odes I've seen around the area, and hopefully eventually will make it complete with what others have reported or posted. Most of this is just the first season of observations, now way back in 2004, FIVE years ago!. This is highly amateur survey work, and as much for the novice as anything, but will give a better idea of what odes fly around Utopia than I had to work with. For some reason I picked up the Anisops (dragonflies) easily, and have had trouble with the Zygops (damselflies), probably due to the lack of reference resources and their small size, so many require capture to ID, and I carry so much, usally the net is another thing, so that part of the list (Zygoptera) will be weaker. There are "official county lists" at the great website for dragonflies and damselflies, Odonata Central. It is THE resource website for Texas Odonates (dragons and damsels). Professsional photos and descriptions range maps, all the latest greatest information. It can be slow if you are on dialup. These pages here being highly amateur in comparison, and built as much for the layfolk, as to have a place to toss up photos or lists of things seen locally. Keep in mind on the official county lists, they (like the county butterfly lists at the USGS site) are incomplete in many areas. Perhaps mostly because so little is known about so much of the state. Some counties are thoroughly known and covered, others virtually unknown, and not yet ever well covered or studied. Which is exciting, as it makes it easy to make new discoveries that add to the body of knowledge. One of the most fun and rewarding thing an amateur nature watcher can do is contribute to our body of knowledge. The official Ode lists I think generally include only those species documented from collected specimens in museums, or in known collections by known collectors, and those documented by photographs identified by experts. That is, no sight records are allowed with Ode lists. The butterfly folks do accept sight records with extreme caution, only from observers with a proven record of correct ID's, and reporting, with descriptions, much like how bird records are treated by qualified observers. It's a level of proof decision is one has to make in any gathering of scientific data project. Each choice has its suite of results. Believe every bird posted to the internet, and you have a lot of bad data. You have to draw the line somewhere for what your chosen purpose and intent is. With Odes it remains much like shotgun ornithology of a century ago. :) The old saying was: "What's hit is history, what's missed is mystery." One can see something say as unmistakeable as a Twelve-spotted Skimmer, by the dozen, see them multiple years, and if you don't get a picture, it didn't happen for ode county list purposes. A Peterson or Sibley sketch made in the field, while watching probably would not get them an ode county record. :) There is no such thing as a perfect world. :) New county records are added on-line via computer, only. Go to: www.odonatacentral.org (I think) for real professional photos and information about these wonderful amazing beasts. This page is just to give an idea of one observers ideas on what is hereabouts the Utopia area. And here I include a a few sight records of seen only species as I believe they complete the picture, when we are sure of their identification. We can only determine status with long term meticulous sight observations and note taking. Keep a camera handy! Take pictures, get documentation. I post anything unusual to the great yahoo groups discussion group, Tex Odes, where there are experts that you can ask to review your photos for ID confirmation. I usually put pictures up here on this website, besides noting it in the "bird news" page (which is all nature news now) so there is a record somewhere. I have numerous times resorted to e-mailing pictures to the experts that were "first county records" in hopes of trying to document new things. 
Band-winged Dragonlet - first Bandera County Record April 27, 04 South Little Creek ponds (buffalo wallows) When this page was put up, I think in early 04, the Odonata Central website listed only 52 species of Dragons and Damsels from Bandera County, and 66 from Uvalde Co.. The up side to this is that there is a great contribution one can make studying them locally. Getting photographs is something anyone can do, even if you don't have a net to catch and collect them, you can still document them easily with a digital camera! You will likely see only Green Darner or Variegated Meadowhawk from December through February, and will therefore need some other hobby then, or you can get caught up on sorting photos and putting them up on the web. In March the first of other species barely start to get going. April is when it really starts to break loose, and November is the last hurrah, but probably a very good time for southern (tropical) or coastal vagrants. Anyway, here's what I had the first year. Much of this is from our former yard where the nearest water was about a three quarters of a mile away as the ode flys. Most of the rest is either from the Little Creek area, Utopia Park, and a little from Lost Maples State Natural Area. About 14 of the dragons represent first county sightings. I've only added a few new species to this list, since this page was originally put up, that were seen since 2004, to try to help complete the picture of what flies here.  Comanche Skimmer There are some codes after the names to further denote the status. Y - in my yard; N3 - seen in 11/03; A4 - seen 4/04; M4 - seen in 5/04; LM - Lost Maples (not yet recorded within 5 miles of Utopia); U - within 5 miles of Utopia (usually Utopia Pk. or S.Little Creek area). P - Photographed; NCR - New (or) NO County Record listed for Bandera Co.. *hypo - means hypothetical: 99.99% sure of ID Only used to be extremely cautious, as I have little doubt that's what they were. Multiple individuals were seen multiple times. Many things I could not ID are just left to get away for a day when I have more knowledge - particularly with damsels. 
Gomphid sps. (Plains Clubtail?) DRAGONFLIES - Anisoptera Green Darner - Anax junius - Y;N3;A4; Giant Darner - Anax walsinghami - LM 10/04;NCR; seen for 5 min. Another in Nov. at Garner St. Park, Uvalde Co. Comet Darner - Anax longipes - a few at Cook's Slough (ph.), then at the fish hatchery and at Utopia Park in Sept.; NCR Uvalde July 27 2005, and then one teneral emerging from Utopia Park May 07! Springtime Darner - Basiaeschna janata - Y;A4;P Swamp Darner - Epiaeschna heros - July 27, 2009 Utopia Pk. photo Dragonhunter - Hagenius brevistylus - LM; A4 Eastern Ringtail - Erpetogomphus designatus - U;A4 Clubtail sps. - Gomphid sps. - Y;N3;A4 (a couple different un-ID'd Gomphids have been seen) Five-striped Leaftail (Phyllogomphoides albrighti) - P; U Four-striped Leaftail (Phyllogomphoides stigmatus) - P; U Forceptail sps. - Aphylla sps. - seen at Ft.Inge, Utopia, Uv.Co. hypo. Russet-tipped Clubtail - Stylurus plagiatus - Y;LM; Jade Clubtail - Arigomphus submedianus - LM, LC, Y, P Black-shouldered Spinyleg - Dromogomphus spinosus - U;M4;P Flag-taled Spinyleg - Uvalde Cook's Slough photo Bronzed River Cruiser - Macromia annulata - U;N3;A4;NCR;Y Illinois River Cruiser - Macromia illinoiensis - U; Prince Baskettail - Epitheca princeps - Y;U;N3;M4 Dot-winged Baskettail - Epitheca petechialis - Y;U:N3;A4;P Orange Shadowdragon - Neurocordulia xanthosoma - Y;N3;NCR;M4 Common Whitetail - Plathemis lydia - Y;U;LM;A4;P Widow Skimmer - Libellula luctuosa - Y;U;LM;M4;P Twelve-spotted Skimmer - Libellula pulchella - Y;NCR;SLC; Flame Skimmer - Libellula saturata - Y-N3;LM-A4;NCR Neon Skimmer - Libellula croceipennis - Y;N3 Roseate Skimmer - Orthemis ferruginea - Y;A4;P *hypo Carmine Skimmer - Orthemis discolor - LM; (M.Reid had it at Lost Maples 9/04 for NCR Bandera) Comanche Skimmer - Libellula comanche - U;M4;P Red Rock Skimmer - Paltothemis lineatipes - Y (!)& LM,NCR;P Filigree Skimmer - Psuedoleon superbus - Bandera Co. 356; P;NCR Variegated Meadowhawk - Sympetrum corruptum - Y;N3;A4;NCR;P Autumnal (Yellow-legged) Meadowhawk - Sympetrum vicinum - Y;U;N3;P Band-winged Dragonlet - Erythrodiplax umbrata - Y;U;A4;NCR;P Eastern Amberwing - Perithemis tenera - U;SLC; Slough Amberwing - Perithemis domitia - Utopia Pk. ph. 2007 NCR Blue Dasher - Pachydiplax longipennis - Y;U;A4;NCR Thornbush Dasher - Micrathyria hagenii - Y;P Bandera Co. Common (Eastern) Pondhawk - Erythemis simplicicollis - Y;U;A4;P Great Pondhawk - Erythemis vesiculosa - Y;N3;A4;NCR; ph. 07 UP; Wandering Glider - Pantala flavescens - Y;N3;U;A4;NCR Spot-winged Glider - Pantala hymenaea - Y;N3 Black Saddlebags - Tramea lacerata - Y;N3;A4;P Red Saddlebags - Tramea onusta - Y;N3;A4;P *hypo Carolina Saddlebags - Tramea carolina - Y;U;N3;M4 Hyacinth Glider - Miathyria marcella - Y;N3;NCR (spec. and photos from Uv.Co. at Ft. Inge in Uvalde.) since seen at Utopia Park and Seco Ridge Checkered Setwing - Dythemis fugax - U;A4;Y;P Swift Setwing - Dythemis velox - Y;U;N3;P Black Setwing - Dythemis nigrescens - Y;U;P; Red-tailed Pennant - Brachymesia furcata - Y;N3 & M4;NCR; seen LM, UP Four-spotted Pennant - Brachymesia gravida - Y; SLC;NCR; LM, UP Halloween Pennant - Celithemis eponina - Y;SLC;NCR Marl Pennant - Macrodiplax balteata - Y (!) in Oct.; NCR; ph. at hatchery in Uvalde June 09; Uvalde NCR Pale-faced Clubskimmer - Brechmorhoga mendax - Y;N3;A4;LM;P Ivory-striped Sylph - Macrothemis imitans - Y; (photos in Uv.Co. on Sabinal, Leona, & Nueces Rivers) Straw-colored Sylph - Macrothemis inacuta - photos at Cooks' Slough, seen in BanCo. Jade-striped Sylph - Macrothemis inequinis - a few sites in Sabinal Valley, LM 44+ species plus hypothetical (probables) April-Sept 2004 in Utopia area, by an amateur duffer. Surely a highly experienced observer would have over 55 sps.. Only 2 sps. are from off plateau, and not from Sab.Riv.Valley yet. All but 6 of the 44 positives, I have seen in the Thunder Creek yard. That means 38 species of Dragons were seen in a dry yard, in less than a year. Note with a few updated additions to the first years list, now about 50 species of dragonflies alone have been seen around the Utopia area. DAMSELFLIES - Zygoptera  Argia cuprea - Coppery Dancer  Argia translata - Dusky Dancer American Rubyspot - Hetaerina americana - Y:U;N3;A4;P Smoky Rubyspot - Hetaerina titia - Y;U;N3;P Great Spreadwing - Archilestes grandis - Y;U;P Plateau Spreadwing - Lestes alacer - U;A4;P Orange-striped Threadtail - Protoneura cara - U;LM;P Kiowa Dancer - Argia immunda - U;Y;P Violet Dancer - Argia violacea - LM;A4;Y;P Powdered Dancer - Argia moesta - LM;Y;A4;P Aztec Dancer - Argia nahuana - Y;LM;A4;P Coppery Dancer - Argia cuprea - Y;U;N3;P Dusky Dancer - Argia translata - Y; P; Leonora's Dancer - Argia heini - Tony Gallucci found these at Utopia Pk., I saw them later. Blue-fronted Dancer - Argia apicalis - Y;P Blue-ringed Dancer - Argia sedula - U;N3;Y;A4;P Double-striped Bluet - Enallagma basidens - LM;Y;U;A4 Familiar Bluet - Enallagma civile - Y;U;A4;P Stream Bluet - Enallagma exsulans - Utopia Pk. on Sabinal Neotropical Bluet - Enallagma novaehispaniae - U;A4 Orange Bluet - Enallagma signatum - LM ; UP Citrine Forktail - Ischnura hastata - Y;U;A4 Fragile Forktail - Ischnura posita - U;A4;NCR by Tony Gallucci Rambur's Forktail - Ischnura ramburii - U;P Desert Firetail - Telebasis salva - U;N3;P 23 sps. Damsels identified around Utopia April-Oct., and probably 25+ species were seen! At least 13 species were seen in the dry yard (+ unID'd pix). So, with 50 Dragons, and 23 Damsels, we have 73 species of Odes seen nearby. 63+ seen in the Sabinal River Valley, in in less than a year, 2004. One could probably find 40-50, or more sps. in a single day in the "prime-time" of late summer, on a good day, not after a couple years of drought, with a few folks who knew what they were looking at scouring the area! Dare I say it, a Dragon count!?! For the (now former) yard, we have 38 Dragons (plus hypos) and 13 Damsels (plus yet to be ID'd photos) which totals a minimum of 51 sps. of Odes, from a dry SW Bandera Co. yard in a year. That is one short of the entire known list of 52 odes for the whole county, in a dry waterless acre! Clearly there is much we don't know about what occurs here! *note several of the damsels were captured, photo'd, and ID'd by Tony Gallucci when we went odeing here. See the also old fairly un-updated ODENEWS pages for some notes. Besides Tony, I am grateful to Greg Lasley, Dennis Paulson, Nick Block, and Tom Langscheid, and Dr. John Abbott, whom have all generously offered usually much needed identification advice. I am grateful and thank you all! Any and all errors of the fault of the author (me), not them!  Desert Firetail, female Please email me if you go odeing in the area, and let me know what you found! We'll add it to the list. |
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