Calvert County (MD) Dragonflies and Damselflies: Part One - A Nearly Invisible World Comes to Life

Prior to this past year, I am not sure that I have ever tried to photograph a dragonfly or damselfly and certainly had never tried to identify one. During a late spring hike in Calvert Cliffs State Park I happened upon a group of very large and colorful dragonflies that were periodically resting on a set of tree branches next to the trail. I took several photos with the hope that I might learn their identity using the iNaturalist app, a relatively new software program to me. Thus was the start of a season learning about a group of creatures that I knew were about, but that I knew so little about. I discovered that Rambur’s Forktail damselflies frequented the lake shore of our yard and that Blue-fronted Dancer damselflies only inhabited one side of our house. Eastern Amberwing dragonflies were generally only found resting on stumps protruding from the lake while Common Whitetail dragonflies seemed to prefer to stay on or close to our house. Flowers in the garden were often adorned with Blue Dasher or Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies. Unusual wing patterns, beautiful vibrant body colors, unusual mating positions, and a much greater variety of species were present than I could have imagined. A world that was apparently almost literally under my feet for years without any awareness on my part was now an exciting new avenue of discovery. So now in addition to trying to find and photograph the local birds, I have another incredible set of creatures to entertain me as I roam around the neighborhood and county.

Publicado el enero 20, 2020 05:57 TARDE por rosalie-rick rosalie-rick

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