e_moon60 (e_moon60) wrote,
e_moon60
e_moon60

  • Mood:

Discovery time

A late afternoon walk down to the creek revealed another new species for the place--a male American Rubyspot.  American Rubyspots are Broad-winged Damselflies--they hold their wings like "normal" damsels, but they have wider wings and may not have pterostigmata (though the American Rubyspot usually does, in this area.)

What I noticed was a small "dragonfly" (flying more strongly than most damsels, as well as larger) and the vivid red of the head and thorax., with some kind of color on the wings.  Then it perched and I saw that half the wing length was red.   Since to photograph it I had to balance on a tiny ridge of gravel just underwater, in the stream, and the light was fading and the wind was blowing...the pictures aren't perfect.  But this is a "lifer" for me, and a new species for the place, so the less-than-perfect images don't bother me.  Much.  

The head and thorax were brilliant metallic red, and the red on the wings was a rich crimson.  The abdomen is metallic green with those little whitish "rings", as if it were a green twig.   The insect was flicking its wings a little open then snapping them shut (note blur at upper edge as the wind blew the plant it was perched on.   The light was open shade, late in the day. 

I'm hoping for good light tomorrow or the next day, so I can catch this fellow in sunlight (maybe)--I'll be toting my bigger lens and the monopod.   And probably the rubber boots so I can stand in the creek without teetering on loose rocks.

Tags: damelfly, native, photography, wildlife management
Subscribe

Recent Posts from This Journal

  • Interesting bug

    This afternoon I saw a treehopper (or some kind of hopper) on the kitchen window screen, so went outside to photograph it. The wind was very…

  • Crayfish/crawfish/crawdads

    I was afraid that we had lost our crayfish in the 5 year drought--they disappeared and did not return for well over a year when the drought ended.…

  • Mushrooms Collapse

    So on Thursday morning, the mushrooms were already collapsing, including some that had been yellowish healthy-looking nubbins yesterday:

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    default userpic

    Your reply will be screened

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed.
    You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use.
  • 0 comments