Back from Maine

Well, I'm married and Megan and I are back from Maine. This summer, dragonflies have caught my attention. I'll never forget my dad catching one of these guys when I was a little kid back in Munroe Falls. I'm by no means being original here by posting pictures of dragonflies, but boy, are these things cool! All of these pictures were taken in between wedding preparations at Little Pond in Otisfield, Maine.

First we have a damselfly. I'm guessing this is one of the bluets, but I need to check to be sure. He landed on some dead peat at the edge of Little Pond, an area roughed up a bit by Megan's dogs. They just open some areas a bit, and hopefully they'll create openings for other intersting plant species. Notice how striking this guy is. Can you see why so many people are becoming interested in damsels?



Next is a spreadwing damselfly. Unlike most other damselflies, they do not completely fold their wings above there bodies. They are "spread". Here is one of the spreadwings captured in the balsam fir-birch woods just 50 feet away from the sphagnum mat that circles little pond. Notice how long and slender this creature's abdomen is.



Here is a meadowhawk. This is a dragonfly with several different representatives. Some are bright red. Notice the orangish coloration of this individual.


Finally, a slaty skimmer. This identification was fairly easy here, as there is simply not other dragonfly that looks like this! What a beautiful specimen!