Some King Skimmers

 

A while back, I posted about an epic dragonfly expedition undertaken by Jim Lemon and myself on June 29. That post focused on pennants, and you can read it HERE.

We saw far more than pennants on that brutally hot and muggy day, which is perfect weather for active dragons. One rarity in particular was our main objective and it follows. But we found another rare species as well, and that's in addition to the Double-ringed Pennant featured in the post linked above.

The little wetland above is in a far corner of Pike County, Ohio, and it's a notable place. More bog-like than cattail marsh, it is fed by constant groundwater seepages and is full of mosses. Walking in it calls for some caution, lest one suddenly find themselves waist deep in the mire. This whole area was highly disturbed by sand mining, and I suspect that the operation inadvertently enlarged naturally occurring sunny woodland seeps. Thus, there is - perhaps - even more dragonfly habitat than before. The wetland in the photo was just one of a number dotted through a fairly small area.

For now, mining has ceased in the area that we visited. If it were to resume, and on a large scale, the wetlands and the dragons that use them would likely have their fortunes reversed. Nature subsists tenuously wherever there is money to be made and the hand of man is strong. Thinking wishfully, this site would make an excellent state nature preserve, the first preserve with dragonfly conservation as a primary reason for its acquisition.

The large skimmers in the genus Libellula are exciting and conspicuous denizens of the wetlands that they occupy. They're big, quite dashing in flight, and prone to perching in obvious places. Shrinking violets they are not.

This is a Slaty Skimmer, Libellula incesta, sometimes referred to as the "Blueberry Skimmer" for obvious reasons. We saw many at this site.

Painted Skimmers, Libellula semifasciata, are absolutely striking. An ornate wing pattern complements soft golden-brown tones. This species is not particularly common but we saw several.

This was an unexpected treat: Golden-winged Skimmer, Libellula auripennis! Apparently it had been found here a few days prior but really wasn't high on our minds - or at least mine - until I spotted it teed up on the edge of a wetland. It has only been found in six Ohio counties and three of those records are since 2018. The only prior semi-recent record was in 2008, found by Rick Nirschl in the Oak Openings near Toledo. Rick showed me those Golden-wings and I wrote about them HERE (you can also see how my photography has hopefully improved over time). In 2018, I found a Golden-wing of my own, as documented HERE.

Finally, the odonatological showpiece of these wetlands and the main reason for our trip: Yellow-sided Skimmer, Libellula flavida. This is one of the rarest regularly occurring and reproducing dragonflies in Ohio, if not the rarest. That's a female in the photo; this species is highly sexually dimorphic as we will see in the next image. In the background, like a mirror image, is a very similar species, a female Spangled Skimmer, Libellula cyanea. There were many Spangleds, but for some reason I did not manage any images of the males or tight shots of the females. I think there were so many subjects to focus on that they went ignored and that's saying something - normally I would prioritize flashy Spangled Skimmers.

And here is the male Yellow-sided Skimmer, which is quite different in appearance from the female. We were pleased to see many of them, maybe 20 in all.

But a couple dozen big dragonflies is really not many dragonflies at all when one considers that this is probably the only population of this state-endangered species persisting in Ohio.

Entomologist Tom Schulz found Ohio's first Yellow-sided Skimmer population in 1998 in a site less than 2.5 miles from this one, also in Pike County. Perhaps not coincidentally, that site has also experienced sand mining and the ecological composition of the wetland where the skimmers occurred is extremely similar. I say "occurred" because they may not be there anymore or if so, the population is reduced to nearly nothing. I know that site, having independently come across the Yellow-sided Skimmers while botanizing in the early 2000's. Now, vegetative succession has pretty much overrun most of the area eliminating much of the dragonfly fauna.

Fortunately, Nina Harfmann located the site featured in this post earlier this year, and it undoubtedly harbors more Yellow-sided Skimmers than the other site ever did. I don't think this species is a (relatively) recent arrival to Ohio, although a number of southern dragonflies and damselflies do seem to be actively expanding north. Southern Ohio is at the extreme northern limit of this species range, and it is a habitat specialist. I suspect small wooded seeps with sandy substrates (this is sandstone county) have long supported this dragonfly. There may be other small populations around, but probably not many as suitable habitat would not be common.

It was great to clap eyes on Yellow-sided Skimmers for the first time in nearly 20 years, and to see so many of the animals seemingly thriving at this site.

Golden-winged Skimmer in Ohio

Hard to keep current with the blog of late, due to travels and too many commitments. I'm not wanting for subject matter, though - many of my excursions, if not specifically photographic in nature, at least allow for some pictorial exploration.

Last Saturday involved work and play. Debbie DiCarlo and I were scouting a few spots in advance of our "Prairies at their Peak" photo workshop the following day, and stopped by a wonderful fen in west-central Ohio to see how things looked. Of course, we had cameras in tow and were creating imagery along the way.

ASIDE: The workshop mentioned above was full with twelve people, and we had a great time. Lots of images of everything from tiny macro insects to sweeping prairie landscapes. Scores of great images were made, and I think we all advanced our knowledge of picture-taking, and natural history. Our next workshop will immerse the group into a deluge of biodiversity and fascinating subjects, as we'll be visiting southern Ohio's Shawnee Forest and vicinity. That'll be August 31 - September 2, and we can take a few more participants. All of the details are RIGHT HERE.

Anyway, while scanning a fen meadow on last Saturday's scouting trip, I spotted a gorgeous golden dragonfly shoot past. I was mostly focusing on dragonflies at that point of our field trip, as I'm trying to photo-document as many damselflies and dragonflies as possible for the Ohio Dragonfly Survey. I knew the golden insect was special, and began stalking it. It was, if my suspicion was correct, a dragonfly I had only seen once before in Ohio, when Rick Nirschl found the first state record in Lucas County in the summer of 2008. That was such a notable find that I met Rick at the site specifically to see the beasts (he found a few).

After a bit of watching and waiting, the animal finally alit on a stalk of prairie-dock, allowing me this documentary shot. Yes! A golden-winged skimmer, Libellula auripennis! This is a showy species of the southern and eastern states, with few but an ever-increasing number of midwestern records.

Following Nirschl's inaugural Ohio discovery, there were three other documented records, the most recent of which was last year during the Ohio Odonata Society's annual conference, appropriately enough. Unless I'm missing something, this record would make Ohio's fourth record of golden-winged skimmer, but I'll wager there will be plenty more in the coming years.

It was hot and sunny when I found the skimmer, so the bug was quite active and quick to flee. Nonetheless, he - it is a male - eventually allowed me this one nice pose, and I took advantage. Golden-winged skimmers are striking insects due to their large size and gorgeous golden-orange coloration, and also quite distinctive. If you see one, please let me know, or better yet, report it to the aforementioned Ohio Dragonfly Survey. One of our main goals with that three year project (2017 thru 2019) is to document shifts in dragonfly populations.

Finally, a note about dragonfly photography. There are many ways to photographically skin a dragonfly, or damselfly, and most any camera can get an identifiable shot if the shooter can get close enough (AND the species is identifiable in a photo). But dedicated macro lenses often work best, and my two favorite dragonfly lenses have long been Canon's superb 100mm f/2.8 macro lens, and the quirky but crazy sharp Canon 180mm f/3.5 macro lens. In a perfect world, I would use the 100mm for small stuff like bluets, forktails, and spreadwings, and the 180mm for larger dragonflies. The latter is a telephoto macro lens that allows the user to be about twice as far away as is necessary with the 100mm lens. Keeping distance from the subject is helpful as dragonflies can be quick to flee in the face of a perceived threat.

But recently I've hit on a new favorite dragonfly lens rig, usually mated to my Canon 5D IV. It is the aging but still amazing Canon 300mm f/4, with image stabilization. I got this lens used a while back, and didn't have to pay a lot for it. It's good for lots of things, but when I coupled it with a 12mm extension tube and turned it to dragonflies, I realized it was an excellent dragon-slayer indeed. The 300mm works well on even tiny damselflies, but really shines with the larger dragonflies. Because of its long focal length, I can often remain well back from the subject and am thus more unlikely to flush it. This lens/camera combo is what allowed me to photo-document the subject of this post.