Photographs by Frank

24 June 2010

Swamp Spreadwings & Blue Dashers

Filed under: Carver's Pond,Odontates — Tags: , — Frank @ 12:00 PM

Yesterday, I made another quick trip to Carver’s Pond just to see what was around; I headed out around four. As six o’clock approached the sky darkened considerably and there were a few sprinkles. After that the number of odontates diminished significantly and I called it a day.

There were a number of mated pairs of swamp spreadwings ovipositing. This species oviposits  in tandem, with the male holding on to the female by the back of the neck as she deposits eggs. The female has a knife-like organ at the end of her abdomen which she uses to slice open the stems of plants above the water line. The eggs are deposited  into the openings she cuts.

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There were also a number of blue dashers around, each male defending a territory from a convienent perch. When an interloper arrives the perched male takes off and a short (and non-violent) aerial dog fight takes place.

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