Tag Archives: Question ID

Juvenile Blue Corporal Dragonfly

March 21, 2023 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

We’ve had some nights below freezing recently, and the day I took these didn’t get much above the mid 50s (10 C) so I was surprised to see any dragonfly.

I spent some time with my “Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East” book and searching online. I did not even come up with Blue Corporal as a possibility.

The ID was provided by Odonata of the Eastern United States Facebook group, with one very confident ID as a Juvenile male Blue Corporal Dragonfly, with several assents.

Audubon Center at Beidler Forest, Harleyville, SC
March 19, 2023

Insects

First Damselfly Images Of The Year

February 26, 2023 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

I had actually seen a pair of damselflies a week or so ago but couldn’t get any usable images.

I saw two of these at the edge of a small pond that was mostly in the shade except for a few blades of a reed where one stopped to eat his prey.

I don’t know the ID, they were quite small, maybe an inch or inch and a half ( 2.5 – 4 cm).

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
February 23, 2023

Insects

Slaty Skimmer

October 28, 2022 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

Here is one more species of dragonfly I photographed on September 14, rather a banner day for dragonflies.

This one was perched on vegetation hanging over the edge of a pond.

Narrow blades of grass seemed to be the preferred resting spot.

Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 14, 2022

Insects

Common Baskettail Above My Head

October 26, 2022 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

There were a lot of these Baskettails zooming over a dike between two ponds, presumably feeding.

This reed stalk was the highest vegetation around with the top coveted perch well above my head.

Backlit by the sun, you can see numerous tears in the wings.

Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 14, 2022

Insects

Four-spotted Pennants

October 25, 2022 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

These Pennants were perching at or slightly above my eye level, making nice subjects on swamp reeds.

Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 14, 2022

Insects

Four-spotted Pennants on Chinese Tallow

October 15, 2022 Ellen Jennings 4 Comments

Chinese Tallow, also known as Popcorn Tree, is an invasive species that crowds out native vegetation and is notoriously hard to get rid of. These trees have been treated but you can see from the sprouting vegetation are not dead.

These dragonflies found the “popcorn” seeds to be good perches.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
September 19, 2022

Insects

Dragonfly on Pokeweed

September 28, 2022 Ellen Jennings 3 Comments

I almost deleted this image then saw the antennae sticking out from the stem below the dragonfly.

Dragonfly on Pokeweed, With Grasshopper Photobomber

The dragonfly shifted to another branch right after I took the first image, giving me a little better view.

And then one more time, this time choosing a leaf as his perch.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
August 27, 2022

Insects

Four-spotted Pennant

September 14, 2022 Ellen Jennings 1 Comment

Pennant dragonflies are known for perching on the tips of vegetation. This one was swaying on a blade of grass at the edge of the Ashley River.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
September 12, 2022

Insects

Backyard Dragonfly

September 17, 2021 Ellen Jennings 4 Comments

A small dragonfly working on his hand-stand pose on a hot day.

September 6, 2021

Insects

Common Whitetail on Ground

September 4, 2021 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

This dragonfly, which I think is a Common Whitetail, was going back and forth between a patch of grass and a sidewalk, perching for 20 or 30 seconds in each place.

He might have been overstuffed with mosquitoes as there was no shortage of them after me.

ID corrections welcome.

I first thought it might be a Banded Pennant, the described variations on each species are confounding.

Hampton Plantation, McClellanville, SC
August 26, 2021