July 2013
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Great Blue Skimmers
Male Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans). 2.2″ long. Note the wing pattern, seen better below; in addition to size this will help you distinguish these from the also blue males of the smaller Common/Eastern Pondhawk and even smaller Blue Dasher. This one is in a classic oblique perch here; the species will also perch horizontally,…
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Slider
A Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) in the freshwater gardens on Pier One. There were two last year. Did this one survive the damage done by Sandy or is it yet another illegal introduction? A species of the Southeast, RES fill our fresh waters because of the pet trade, irresponsible pet owners, and an unfortunate…
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Robber Fly
A robber fly of the genus Diogmites. Superficially wasp-like, but actually in the order Diptera as their common name suggests. Note the rather long and spiny legs, the better for grasping prey with. They hunt bees, wasps, and even dragonflies, no mean predators themselves. The piercing mouthparts are for sucking out the prey’s precious bodily…
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kingbird
An Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) between insecticidal sorties over the Upper Pool. What a binomial to saddled with, eh? Called “king” because of their aggressively territorial characteristics. Often return to the same perching place overlooking meadows or water bodies. King of all it surveys, at least according to us. Just barely seen here, the white…
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Who’s the Bos?
I am inordinately moved by the fate of the Aurochsen. Bos primigenius were the wild ox of Eurasia, painted by their hunters at Lascaux and elsewhere tens of thousands of years ago. These big beeves with the great horns were the ancestors of domesticated cattle, of which there are many breeds, including some with Aurochsen…
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Mantid on Hicks
My eyes aren’t getting any better, but perhaps my eye is. I was walking down Hicks Street trying to remember if I’d read Vidal’s The Golden Age, which I found on a stoop a block or two back, when I noticed this.Figured it was the exuvia of a mantis. Took some pictures, thought it too…
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Swamp Darner
A female Swamp Darner (Epiaeschna heros), one of the largest dragonflies in the east. A migratory species, averaging 3.4″ long. This is my first sighting. I watched her deposit eggs into pieces of lumber that edged a portion of the Vale of Cashmere. All the other species of dragonflies I’ve seen deposit their eggs in…
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Flying Now
Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) are out and about now, moving fast. One of the large “dark swallowtails,” which I find impossible to identify in motion. That’s the point. Both the Spicebush and the Black Swallowtail (P. polyxenes) mimic the Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor), which evidently tastes disgusting after loading up on Pipevine toxins. Predators learn…
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Froggy
Valley Water in Green-Wood is swarming with tadpoles right now. Here’s one of many hundreds popping up for a gulp of air. They were zooming up and then down into the murk.This rock, however, provided a nice docking area for them. Not sure if there is more than one species here or some are just…
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Pondhawk
Common or Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicollis). This is an immature male; his thorax will turn completely blue as he reaches maturity. Superficially like the common Blue Dasher, but larger, with clear wings, and white appendage. These Pondhawks are known as great predators, and capture and eat dragonflies their own size, including others of their own…
Backyard and Beyond 