This was one huge dragonfly! And I marveled not only at his size but that I didn't recall having ever seen one of this kind before. Not only that, but as I was photographing him, my friend drove into the driveway. The rush of air and movement disturbed him from his perch, but instead of flying away, he flew right into the air turbulence and toward the vehicle. Only when the air disturbance stopped did he come back to a similar perch and rest for a moment.
This is not a faint-of-heart predator! I think he is a member of the Clubtail family and possibly a species called, Dragonhunter. But beyond that 'possible' ID, I can't venture. Even though I have always found dragonsflies magical and have three books on the subject, I still know very little about them. However, everytime I see a new one, I want to dive more deeply into reading about them.
Of the Clubtails, my Stokes, Beginner's Guide to Dragonflies says: "The clubtails are one of the most diverse and challenging groups of dragonflies in the world....for many closely related species, even a good look at all of these features will not suffice; only an in-hand examination of anatomical features will permit certain identification. Even experts must let many pass simply as "clubtail species."
Having read that, I know my limitations. But I can readily say he was gorgeous! When he was whirling around in the turbulence, I found myself primed to duck if he came my way. This made me laugh. I've never had that reaction to a dragonfly before. This guy was more like a helicopter! Note added June 18: This dragonfly was in the 3 inch range, almost double the size of more common dragonflies. I was delighted to receive a postive ID confirmation from Martin Hagne of Weslaco, TX, who agrees this is a Clubtail Dragonhunter. Read his interesting note in the comments section.
And before I leave the subject, if you haven't already discovered Amila's blog, Gallicissa, pay it a visit. Not only is Amila an expert guide for birders, but he loves dragonflies and has created a wonderful pond in his Sri Lankan backyard where he studies dragonflies and other critters and posts beautiful macro images.
Cracking shots those Vickie.
ReplyDeleteWow!.
ReplyDeleteVickie, you got a beautiful macro shots here.
Stunning clubtail dragonfly.
Did anyone else start hearing the theme from Magnum: PI playing in their head when they saw these photos?
ReplyDeletePretty!
ReplyDeleteThis made me reach my copy of Dragonflies through binoculars immediately! Clubtails are tough alright. BUT, for this one, I'll go with Rapids Clubtail Gomphus quadricolor. That fat body and the colouration are the reasons I went for it. According to my book it occurs in TN. Of couse I am happy to be corrected!
Next time try to take the dorsal view too if possible - especially the end of the body (eventhough you may get the head out of focus in the process).
Look forward to more dragons!
That is one of the best Dragonfly closeups I have ever seen, SUPERB photos Vickie!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Amila. I realized when I started looking through ID books that I should have captured the abdoment better. I had opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI have 'Dragonflies through Binoculars' also and didn't find Dragonhunter among its samples for another look. The main thing that steered me away from Rapids was that this dragonfly was way bigger than the 1.7 inches described, nearly double the size of a blue dasher which is also 1.7 in. On the other hand, you are right about the similarity of abdomen proportion and coloration. Wish 'Dragonflies through Binocs' offered larger images w. more detail.
Thanks Vickie. Yes, those proportions seem to match Dragonhunter. It is shown as 3.3 inches! WOW!!
ReplyDeleteI found it in plate 6. That looks frightening!
Vickie - incredible! Did you use your macro lens for the Rebel?
ReplyDeleteWow! He's a beaut!
ReplyDeleteHi, Heather. No, actually in these images I used what was already on my camera, my 75-300mm telephoto lens. These are taken at 300mm.
ReplyDeleteThanks LBJ and Tabib.
Jo, you have a fun imagination!
Hey, John. Thank you. I was pleasantly surprised at the detail and surprised he remained still for so long.
Vickie, I too have recently been intrigued by the local dragonflies, but I haven't seen anything quite like the specimen you posted. Look at those eyes! I'm a total novice at insect IDs but am intrigued to learn more, too. Is the Beginner's Guide to Dragonflies a national field guide? Is it pretty good? I'm "in the market" for my first dragonfly book!
ReplyDeleteI received this note from Martin Hagne, Executive Director of Valley Nature Center, Weslaco, TX, who gave me permission to post here.
ReplyDelete"Yes, you have that correct! Sure looks like a Dragonhunter to me. Very nice photos! They fly with their abdomen slightly formed dowwards, like a J laying down. Very cool bug! Eats all sorts of large insects including butterflies, dragonflies, and others."
Monika, I like the Stokes Beginner's guide because it has nice size images and groups the families by color tabs making it easy to learn identifying characteristics. There is also plenty of basic info to get you started and small range maps with each species. It includes all of North America.
ReplyDeleteWow..excellent shots!
ReplyDeleteWhat is it perched on!
Great close ups..and thanks for the good info..
looks like its on a car anteanna.