Odonates Abounding

I went to the Sackville Waterfowl Park on Sunday morning for a walk.  It is definitely a favourite spot for me to take a walk, immerse myself in nature, and enjoy some quiet time.  I also like to take the camera along to record any interesting birds, bees or butterflies, and any other critters I see.  This time, it was definitely a day for odonates, meaning dragonflies (darners, meadowhawks, etc.) and damselflies (bluets, spreadwings, and others).  I spent quite a lot of time watching them and snapping pictures when I could.  Many of them don't settle for long, so it can be really difficult to take their pictures.  I thought I'd share some of the pictures I took. It's a bit of a picture-heavy post, but they really are beautiful creatures.

There was a lot of odonate love in the air....they really do contort into amazing positions for procreation.  I believe these are familiar bluets (Enallagma civile).

See how they make a sort of sideways heart shape?  I think that's kind of cute.

This is another bluet, but I'm not sure which species.  They can be very tricky to identify because they have very similar markings.  There are tiny differences in the tail appendages but this shot isn't clear enough to show those.

This is a band-winged meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum).  It is easier to identify because of the brown tinge in the wings.

Here, just for some variety, is a tri-coloured bumble bee (Bombus ternarius) on goldenrod. 

This is another meadowhawk, but I can't identify it because there are several that look similar to this.  It is probably either the cherry-faced or white-faced meadowhawk (S. internum or S. obtrusum).  I love this picture because of the shadows of the wings - it makes it look like it has 8 wings instead of 4.

Here are a couple more bluets, but these are less acrobatic at this point.  They fly around stuck to each other like this.  Fascinating.

This is one of the big dragonfly species - a darner.  I can't tell which one because I couldn't get a side view shot of it, and the side markings are how you identify these critters.  Still, I love this shot of its eyes.  They are simply amazing to look at.

This is almost certainly a white-faced meadowhawk (Sympetrum obtrusum).

This bluet posed nicely for me.  Probably a familiar bluet.

This is a male slender spreadwing (Lestes rectangularis).  Look at those blue eyes!

This is a spotted spreadwing (Lestes congener), which an expert helpfully identified for me.  I post many of my sightings to iNaturalist, which is a great place for citizen science.  Experts can help identify all forms of life that are posted there.  You can post pictures of plants, insects, animals and birds, even fungi and lichen!

The white-faced meadowhawks were busy ensuring the future survival of their species as well. 

They look like a two-headed creature in this shot!  Who does the driving?!

I took some other insect pictures, including this mud dauber wasp.  What a weird conformation - look at how the abdomen is connected to the thorax with such a thin strip.  I love the stripey legs!

Here's a regular ol' two-striped grasshopper, hopping in the grass.

And here, one of the strangest things I saw on my walk, is what I initially thought was an interesting fungus growing on a branch.  Turns out that it isn't fungus at all.  It's a species of aphid called the cottony alder psyllid (Psylla floccosa).  The nymph stage produces this weird-looking cottony "fluff" on alder branches.  Definitely a new find for me.  You just never know what you'll see on a walk in the park.

Dragonflies and Damselflies

I've been taking quite a few pictures at the Sackville Waterfowl Park of the dragonflies and damselflies that make the park their home.  I love their different colours and sizes, although they are notoriously difficult to photograph.  Just as I think I've got my focus right, they take off from their resting spot and force me to start all over again!

I've managed to capture a few of them so far, although I'm not at all sure about my identifications, especially when it comes to the damselflies.

This is a dragonfly, and I'm fairly sure it is a Canada Darner (Aeshna canadensis).  Its size and markings are fairly distinctive.

Here, in case you're not familiar with the birds and the bees of dragonflies (what a mouthful!), are a couple of Canada Darners in the progress of perpetuating their species.  Really, the whole process of dragonfly reproduction is quite fascinating, if you feel inspired to read about it.  Look it up!

This dragonfly is a saffron-winged meadowhawk (Sympetrum costiferum), I think, but I welcome corrections!


This dragonfly also looks almost identical to the one above, but it has a slightly yellowish haze to the wings at the point where they join the body.  It also sat in a different resting position, with its tail pointed upward at about a 30 degree angle.  Finally, the one above has black legs, and this one has brownish yellow legs.  Thus, I believe this one below is the autumn meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum).

On to the damselflies...a bit more difficult to identify.  Some of these critters are very similar to each other, and I'm not an expert on these, so I'm very much open to corrections.  They're also tricky to photograph because they move suddenly and you have to snap them while you can!  From my research on these, I think they are falling into two primary groups - the spreadwings (Lestidae) and the pond damsels (Coenagrionidae).  I'm very grateful for the Dragonflies and Damselflies of New Brunswick website, which has helpful pictures and descriptions that have guided my identifications.

The picture below is a spreadwing (it alights with the wings spread out) and I believe it is most likely the lyre-tipped spreadwing (Lestes unguiculatus), but it might be the sweetflag spreadwing (Lestes forcipatus).  I believe it's the former because the area behind its head is pale in colour, but I am only guessing based on photographs and field guides.

This one is, I believe, a female Eastern forktail (Ischnura verticalis).  The females have a powdery blue appearance, which is quite different from the males.


This, I believe, is the male of the same species, Eastern forktail (Ischnura verticalis).  My identification is supported by its green shoulder stripes and blue tipped abdomen, as well as the eye colour.

This one is significantly more difficult.  There are a number of damselflies referred to as "bluets" that have this sort of striped pattern.  My guess is that it's either Hagen's Bluet (Enallagma hageni) or the Marsh Bluet (Enallagma ebrium).  If any odonata specialist would like to weigh in, please feel free!