ODE Photos '21 - Utopia - Uvalde County

New Ode Photos

Widow Skimmer

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© 2021-22 - All Rights Reserved

Here are some recent ode photos. That is, Odonata, dragonflies and damselflies. A dozen have been used in the weekly bird and nature news photo breaks in the last four years, but most have never been posted before. They are higher resolution than the low-res on all the original dragonfly pages, eventually will cut them in there. But due to those old page formats, it was easier to take what has been used recently, add a bunch of other crops from last few years of better resolution ode shots, and put it all on one new page. They were taken with a Canon Powershot SX40, which is not high-, but low-mid- resolution. Most are overly cropped tight to reduce file sizes. Personally I would have more habitat in the images, but for web space and traffic, and that they are more for ID illustrative purposes, not artistic images which would be cropped completely differently. The original images are four times larger, and nothing we put up on the web site is at maximum resolution.

This collection shows about half of the dragons of Utopia. The six-legged winged flying ones anyway. For more information about them see the other dragonfly pages which have some discussion. The dragonfly list page gives a brief status for each species found here. Often we only show males, again, space and traffic constraints. Females often appear differently, some few are shown. I have seen over 80 species of dragonflies and damselflies locally in the upper Sabinal River drainage (86 now and probably 90 if I could have ID'd them all), and photographed 73 species here. I have seen about 60 species at Utopia Park, the best single local site for them. This new series represents about half of the species diversity found here. Many other species can be found on the other dragonfly pages, usually at lower resolution.

Here are the other related ode links on the site ...

Dragonfly list

Dragonflies

Dragonfly Photos

Ode News

These are grouped by family or genus, so similar related types are together.
Any ID ideas or corrections would be appreciated. We will add more photos.

Here is a dragonfly trifecta. Three species in a single frame,
in focus enough to ID. At upper right is a male Comet Darner,
very rare here. Center is a Red-tailed Pennant, scarce but
almost annual, and at left is a Red Saddlebags, common here.

~ ~ ~ ~

DRAGONFLIES - Anisoptera

DARNERS - Aeshnidae

One of two Comet Darner (Anax longipes), at the
pondlet by Waresville Cmty., Utopia, June 28, 2020.

Green Darner male (Anax junius), our common Darner.
Female abdomen green as thorax.

~ ~ ~ ~

CLUBTAILS - Gomphidae - these have distinctly separated eyes.

Five-striped Leaftail (Phyllagomphoides albrighti)

A Gomphid sps., probably Pronghorn Clubtail (Gomphus graslinellus)

A Gomphid sps., maybe Eastern Ringtail (Erpetogomphus designatus)

Broad-striped Forceptail (Aphylla augustifolia)

Sulphur-tipped Clubtail (Gomphus militaris)

~ ~ ~ ~

CORDULIIDAE

Dot-winged Baskettail (Epitheca petechalis)

~ ~ ~ ~

LIBELLULADAE

Skimmers

Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa), male

Filigree Skimmer (Psuedoleon superbus) - check out those eyes!
I want sunglasses that look like that! You'd be
the coolest one at the dragonfly society meeting.

Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) at Utopia Park July 14, 2018,
which appears to perhaps be the second Uvalde. Co. record.
Tripp Davenport found the first at Cook's Slough, Uvalde, in 2009.

Neon Skimmer (Libellula croceipennis) male

Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea) male

A female Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea)

Comanche Skimmer (Libellula comanche) male

Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella) male

~ ~ ~ ~

Whitetail is its own unique thing

Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia) male

~ ~ ~ ~

Pennants

Red-tailed Pennant (Brachymesia furcata) male

Banded Pennant (Celethemis fasciata) male

Four-spotted Pennant (Brachymesia gravida)

~ ~ ~ ~

Amberwings - small yellow jobs

Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera) is a very small dragonfly, usually
appearing more yellow than this oranger image (due to angle and light).

~ ~ ~ ~

Pondhawk

Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) female

Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) male

~ ~ ~ ~

Saddlebags

Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta) male

~ ~ ~ ~

Dragonlets

Band-winged Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax umbrata) male

~ ~ ~ ~

Setwings

Black Setwing (Dythemis nigriscens) male

~ ~ ~ ~

Dashers

Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) sub-adult male

Blue Dasher probably female (or imm. male)

Thornbush Dasher (Micrathyria hagenii)

~ ~ ~ ~

DAMSELFLIES ~ Zygoptera

BROAD-WINGED DAMSELS -
Rubyspots - Hetaerina sps.

American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana)

Smoky Rubyspot (Hetaerina titia)

~ ~ ~ ~

SPREADWINGS

Plateau Spreadwing (Lestes alacer) - spreadwings are the one group
of damselflies that hold their wings open like dragonflies.

~ ~ ~ ~

THREADTAILS

Orange-striped Threadtail (Protoneura cara) mating.
And making a heart.

~ ~ ~ ~

POND DAMSELFLIES

DANCERS - Argia

Violet (formerly Variable) Dancer (Argia fumipennis violacea)

Another Violet Dancer, because purple.

Springwater Dancer (Argia plana)

Blue-ringed Dancer (Argia sedula)

Dusky Dancer (Argia translata)

Blue-fronted Dancer (Argia apicalis)

~ ~ ~ ~

Bluets - Enallagma sps.

Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile)

Double-striped Bluet (Enallagma basidens)

Not sure but probably a Stream Bluet (Enallagma exulans)

~ ~ ~ ~

Forktails - Ischnura sps.

Rambur's Forktail (Ischnura ramburii)

~ ~ ~ ~

Might I suggest taking a closer look next time you see some?
You may be amazed at what you see!

~ ~ ~ ~

Quick links to the other ode-dragon links ...

Dragonfly list

Dragonflies

Dragonfly Photos

Ode News

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