Introduction to Dragonflies!

FENCE, Tryon, NC

      Saturday, August 14, 2004

Trip Report

We all met at the Foothills Equestrian Nature Center (FENCE) in Tryon, NC for our first dragonfly Venture.  Unfortunately, the expected approach of Hurricane Charley kept turnout of both humans and odonates low; but Charley himself stayed away, and though the pond stayed ode-free all the breezy, cloudy day, we managed to scare up 15 species from the long grass, weeds, and shrubbery. Best sighting, as with Jeff's report, was a Fawn Darner (Boyeria vinosa). Other dragons were an adult male Little Blue Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax miniscula), a male Yellow-legged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum), male and female Calico and Halloween Pennants (Celithemis elisa and eponina), male Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta), male Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia), and of course Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis, adult males only) and Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis, female and both adult and immature males). Sadly, only two families, and not even an Eastern Amberwing though Simon assured that he'd seen them on the pond on sunnier, calmer days.

Damsels sighted were the always-welcome Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) along with Skimming Bluet (Enallagma geminatum), Variable Dancer (Argia fumipennis), Swamp Spreadwing (Lestes vigilax) including a pair in tandem, and of course the omnipresent Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita), plus one bluet that I didn't see well enough to identify, from the Pale/Slender/Attenuated trio. One of the forktails was being eaten by a Hanging-thief (Diogmites sp.), a robberfly that hung under a leaf by one foreleg while handling its prey with the other five legs.

Joshua Rose