Comet Darner
This is the Comet Darner (Anax longipes) that Twan recently netted before it went into the studio for its photo shoot – it certainly blends into the background beautifully!
Read MorePurple Martin Wire
There are precious few moments for Purple Martins (Progne subis) to rest at this time of the year with so many hungry mouths to feed back at their gourd. All of the cool butterflies and dragonflies that we regularly post are prey for these birds, and if you visit an especially populated gourd colony you will end up finding parts of them on the ground underneath. They used to be billed as mosquito eaters to help sell those apartments (ain’t marketing grand?) but the Purple Martin relies on much larger prey. If you ever have the chance to watch them feeding their young be prepared for...
Read MoreBlue Dasher Stare
You feel like having a staring contest? This Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) is game. Good luck! You’re going to need it…
Read MoreSpot-winged Glider
Today was the best day that I have experienced so far this year for migratory insects! Red Admiral and Monarch butterflies were on the wing, and dozens of dozens of dragonflies were zipping by including Common Green Darners, Black Saddlebags, Carolina Saddlebags, Swamp Darners, Wandering Gliders and Spot-winged Gliders (Pantala hymenaea) like this one. You can see the spots of this very difficult to catch species here. Keep an eye out for Sean’s Meet Your Neighbour photo of it sometime soon. So much more life is emerging every day now that we have entered the summer, and it is so...
Read MoreComet Darner (Anax longipes)
I was very happy to find a local breeding population of the spectacular Comet Darner (Anax longipes) during our ongoing assessment of the Chautauqua-Allegheny region’s dragonflies and damselflies. These are the 747s of the dragonfly world, but in fire truck red. What more could you want? Photographed for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. Twan Leenders RTPI President
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