- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Most of the time, I see red.
Occasionally, I see spots.
Red? The flameskimmer dragonflies (Libellula saturata) that hang out in our pollinator garden.
Spots? The 12-spot dragonfly, Libellula pulchella.
On Sunday, July 16 a male Libellula pulchella (as identified by Greg Kareofelas, Bohart Museum of Entomology associate) zigzagged into our pollinator garden in Vacaville and assumed the position--on a bamboo stake. He was there to feast on a few insects.
BugGuide.net says of the 12-spot dragonfly:
"Once upon a time, this was the Ten-spot(ted) Skimmer, and formerly appeared in most books under that common name. To make it so, the basal spot of opposite wings was counted as one spot crossing the thorax (and so it appears at a glance, especially when they are flying or seen from a distance). Some authors rationalize it as counting the cloudy white spots on the wings, but that's only good for mature males, and it often doesn't work (there are often only eight white spots, the two at the base of the hind wing either missing or having been rubbed off)."
It's one of about 25 to 30 species, and most are North American, according to BugGuide.Net. How can you distinguish males from females? "Mature males have twelve brown wing spots, as well as eight white wing spots. The basal area of the hind wing is also whitish. Females and immature males have the twelve brown wing spots but not the white spots. Their abdomens are brown with a yellow stripe along each side."
Check out BugGuide.net for more information and beautiful photos!
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
"You can hawk and perch in our yard all day if you want," I told her.
And she did.
A spotted dragonfly chose a spot in our pollinator garden--a bamboo stake overlooking a patch of Verbena and African blue basil--and she stayed most of the day.
At first I mistook the insect for the twelve-spotted dragonfly, Libellula pulchella. All I could see were spots! Bohart Museum of Entomology associate Greg Kareofelas of Davis who studies and photographs dragonflies and butterflies and other insects, identified it as a female whitetail, Plathemis lydia.
Plathemis lydia? It's a common dragonfly found across much of North America, according to Wikipedia. "The male's chunky white body (about 5 cm long), combined with the brownish-black bands on its otherwise translucent wings, give it a checkered look. Females have a brown body and a different pattern of wing spots, closely resembling that of female Libellula pulchella, the twelve-spotted skimmer. Whitetail females can be distinguished by their smaller size, shorter bodies, and white zigzag abdominal stripes; the abdominal stripes of L. puchella are straight and yellow."
"The common whitetail can be seen hawking for mosquitoes and other small flying insects over ponds, marshes, and slow-moving rivers in most regions except the higher mountain regions," according to Wikipedia. "Periods of activity vary between regions; for example in California, the adults are active from April to September."
This one was hawking and perching within several yards of our fish pond, as honey bees, carpenter bees, long-horned digger bees, European wool carder bees, Gulf Fritillaries and monarchs staked out their own territory.
I thought Ms. Libellula pulchella would move as soon as I approached her, but she held her ground--or stake. Occasionally, she'd leave to grab a meal and then return to her perch.
Another dragonfly circled but didn't land. I was hoping for a male, the one with the chunky white abdomen...
(Note: The Bohart Museum of Entomology offers a "Dragonflies of California" poster, featuring 18 images of dragonflies, in its gift shop at 1124 Academic Surge, Crocker Lane, UC Davis. The posters are the work of Bohart associates Greg Kareofelas and entomologist Fran Keller, who received her doctorate in entomology at UC Davis.)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Last Sunday, however, a new species arrived--a male twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella), as identified by naturalist Greg Kareofelas of Davis, an associate at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis.
And a male, on Father's Day.
"The black spots on the wing tips, makes this a male Libellula pulchella," Kareofelas said.
The twelve-spotted skimmer flew in around noon, grabbed a few insects in flight (fast food!) and then perched on one of our bamboo stakes to eat them. Warily, he watched me approach. Fortunately, my 200mm macro lens allowed me to take a few shots before he took off.
This colorful little fellow is from the family, Libellulidae (skimmers); suborder Anisoptera (dragonflies); and order Odonata. By the way, if you're interested in buying the Bohart Museum poster, "Dragonflies of California," you can contact the museum at (530) 752-0493, or bmuseum@ucdavis.edu or visit the facility, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building on Crocker Lane. The museum, directed by Lynn Kimsey, UC Davis professor of entomology, is home of nearly eight million insect specimens. It is open to the public Mondays through Thursdays. The dragonfly poster is the work of then doctoral candidate Fran Keller (she now is "Dr. Fran") and Kareofelas.
According to BugguideGuide.net, Libellula pulchella "is found from British Columbia east to Nova Scotia, extending south through most of the U.S., from California east to Florida. It is absent from very dry areas. In Idaho, it occurs throughout most of the state except for the driest portions of the southwest."
Its habitat? Near lakes, ponds and marshes, particularly those with exposed shorelines.
Dragonflies like our yard due to the insects that fly over the fish pond and the insects that inhabit the pollinator garden, which offers quite a smorgasbord for predators. What does an adult dragonfly eat? Soft-bodied flying insects such as mosquitoes, flies, bees, butterflies, moths, mayflies, and the like. They are also very territorial and will chase away other dragonflies.
During the visit by the twelve-spotted dragonfly, two other dragonflies--red flameskimmers--appeared at the lunch counter.
It was a very good day for dragonflies.
Probably not so good for the sunflower bees and sweat bees...