Since March 19 when I saw the first damselflies of the season emerging from the Wetlands, there have been five additional species of odonata seen.
The first Common Baskettail was seen the 30th of March. Blue Corporal and Common Whitetail were both observed on the 3rd of April and a male Common Green Darner on the 7th of the month. A Lancet Clubtail was seen on the Dinosaur Trail on the 10th of April.
If all of the new arrivals isn’t enough to get you in the mood for going out and hunting down odes, the excitement heightened on April 9 and 10 when numbers of whitetails crawled from the water onto trees, logs, and rocks to shed their watery way of life for one on the wing. One nymph even hustled across the pavement in search of a safe spot to transform into an adult.
There’s always something exciting happening in Explore the Wild, but you have to be there to see it!
I saw several dragonflies when I was camping down east in Bladen County over the weekend. I even saw a copulation wheel! It was very exciting.
Greg Dodge, Ranger says:
Author
Leslie,
Bladen County, there’s a whole new set of characters down there. All the pines, tannic acid in the water, sandy-bottomed lakes and streams creates an entirely different set of conditions. You still get the generalist, but the potential for seeing some really neat odes is increased in that area, one of my favorite places.
Wendy,
Thanks. I saw yet another ode today (4/13/10). A fresh Eastern Pondhawk flew in front of me but I didn’t get a picture.
Lovely pictures!
I saw several dragonflies when I was camping down east in Bladen County over the weekend. I even saw a copulation wheel! It was very exciting.
Leslie,
Bladen County, there’s a whole new set of characters down there. All the pines, tannic acid in the water, sandy-bottomed lakes and streams creates an entirely different set of conditions. You still get the generalist, but the potential for seeing some really neat odes is increased in that area, one of my favorite places.
Wendy,
Thanks. I saw yet another ode today (4/13/10). A fresh Eastern Pondhawk flew in front of me but I didn’t get a picture.