[NatureNS] Questions re: Late Dragonflies

From: Bob McDonald <bobathome@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
References: <20091117194409.QSNR14076.torspm02.toronto.rmgopenwave.com@BM.ns.sympatico.ca>
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:21:32 -0400
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects

<a href="../index.html">Index 
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

--Boundary_(ID_lbMfs3QxqnFfnRkLpXO4zA)
Content-type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

Blake's observation and questions prompted me to check out my odonate resource "A Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Massachusetts" by Blair Nikula et al.  It contains most but not quite all of the odes we see in the province.  It does have flight periods for all species and as Derek mentioned one of the latest flying darners is the Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa) which, as the text indicates, is "one of the very few species that fly into early November".  This is in Massachusetts.
However, there is one later flying darner species and that is the Common Green Darner (Anax junius) which flies past mid-Nov, again in Mass.
These two species should be fairly easy to distinguish even in flight however since A. junius has an all green thorax (no thoracic stripes which most darners show) and a different abdominal pattern.  Noteworthy is the fact that this latter species is also often the first species seen in the spring (late April); these are the migrants from the south.

Cheers,

Bob McDonald
Halifax

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Blake Maybank 
  To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca 
  Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 3:43 PM
  Subject: [NatureNS] Questions re: Late Dragonflies


  16 November 2009

  While walking along Murphy Cove Road on the Prospect Peninsula yesterday I encoutered two large darner dragonflies having a territorial dispute.   I was unable to observe them at length, or take a photo, but this seems a late date for dragonflies to still be on the wing.   What are the "normal" late dates for dragonflies, and what darner species are seen so late in the autumn?

  Cheers,

  Blake


  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Blake Maybank
  maybank@ns.sympatico.ca
  902-852-2077

  Editor, "Nova Scotia Birds"
  http://nsbs.chebucto.org

  author, "Birding Sites of Nova Scotia"
  http://tinyurl.com/birdingns
  Downloadable Nova Scotia Maps for inside front and back covers:
  http://tinyurl.com/mr627d 

  White's Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada 



------------------------------------------------------------------------------



  No virus found in this incoming message.
  Checked by AVG - www.avg.com 
  Version: 8.5.425 / Virus Database: 270.14.69/2508 - Release Date: 11/17/09 07:40:00

--Boundary_(ID_lbMfs3QxqnFfnRkLpXO4zA)
Content-type: text/html; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16788" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Blake's observation and questions prompted me to check out my 
odonate resource "A Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of 
Massachusetts" by Blair Nikula et al.&nbsp; It contains most but not quite all 
of the odes we see in the province.&nbsp; It does have flight periods for all 
species and as Derek mentioned one of the latest flying darners is the Shadow 
Darner (Aeshna umbrosa) which, as the text indicates, is "one of the very few 
species that fly into early November".&nbsp; This is in 
Massachusetts.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>However, there is one later flying darner species and that is 
the Common Green Darner (Anax junius) which flies past mid-Nov, again in 
Mass.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>These two species should be fairly easy to distinguish even in 
flight&nbsp;however since A. junius has an all green thorax (no thoracic stripes 
which most darners show) and a different abdominal pattern.&nbsp; Noteworthy is 
the fact that this latter species is also often the first species seen in the 
spring (late April); these are the migrants from the south.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Cheers,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Bob McDonald</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Halifax</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE 
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
  <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
  <DIV 
  style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> 
  <A title=maybank@ns.sympatico.ca href="mailto:maybank@ns.sympatico.ca">Blake 
  Maybank</A> </DIV>
  <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=naturens@chebucto.ns.ca 
  href="mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</A> </DIV>
  <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, November 17, 2009 3:43 
  PM</DIV>
  <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [NatureNS] Questions re: Late 
  Dragonflies</DIV>
  <DIV><BR></DIV>16 November 2009<BR><BR>While walking along Murphy Cove Road on 
  the Prospect Peninsula yesterday I encoutered two large darner dragonflies 
  having a territorial dispute.&nbsp;&nbsp; I was unable to observe them at 
  length, or take a photo, but this seems a late date for dragonflies to still 
  be on the wing.&nbsp;&nbsp; What are the "normal" late dates for dragonflies, 
  and what darner species are seen so late in the 
  autumn?<BR><BR>Cheers,<BR><BR>Blake<BR><BR><X-SIGSEP>
  <P></X-SIGSEP>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>Blake 
  Maybank<BR>maybank@ns.sympatico.ca<BR>902-852-2077<BR><BR>Editor, "Nova Scotia 
  Birds"<BR><A href="http://nsbs.chebucto.org/" 
  eudora="autourl">http://nsbs.chebucto.org<BR><BR></A>author, "Birding Sites of 
  Nova Scotia"<BR><FONT color=#0000ff><U><A href="http://tinyurl.com/birdingns" 
  eudora="autourl">http://tinyurl.com/birdingns<BR></A></U></FONT>Downloadable 
  Nova Scotia Maps for inside front and back covers:<BR><A 
  href="http://tinyurl.com/mr627d" 
  eudora="autourl">http://tinyurl.com/mr627d</A> <BR><BR>White's Lake, Nova 
  Scotia, Canada 
  <P>
  <HR>

  <P></P><BR>No virus found in this incoming message.<BR>Checked by AVG - 
  www.avg.com <BR>Version: 8.5.425 / Virus Database: 270.14.69/2508 - Release 
  Date: 11/17/09 07:40:00<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

--Boundary_(ID_lbMfs3QxqnFfnRkLpXO4zA)--

next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects