Zen: Dragonfly

For the record, it's a Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta)...
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Dragonfly, Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera)

Several young, small female Eastern Amberwing dragonflies were testing their wings in a wildflower patch in the field. They were landing on these Virginia Plantain (Plantago virginica) seedheads and testing their wings. A few days latter they were gone.

Identification resources:
- Dragonflies of Georgia: Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera)
- BugGuide: Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera) [Male] [Female]
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Zen: Yellowjacket Hover Fly

This is the first time I’ve tried to take an ‘in motion’ shot. It only worked because the fly was hovering for some time and I was just lucky to get the focus right. The fly is a Yellowjacket Hover Fly (Milesia virginiensis). It was hovering, waiting to visit a Sicklepod Coffeeweed (Senna obtusifolia). It hovered for a short time and then flew - it was surprising how loud it was - at the flower, scattering other flies already on the flower. It apparently decided it didn’t really want the flower at all and settled on a nearby leaf. Territorial behavior?

Identification resources:
- BugGuide: Yellowjacket Hover Fly (Milesia virginiensis)
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Zen: Beach Ball Escapee…

Every now and again, swimmers at the beach in Fort Yargo State Park lose inflatable beach balls. The wind blows them across the lake. I often recover them when I’m rowing, stow them on the stern deck, and drop them off at the beach on my way back to where I launch. I rescued this ball last Sunday morning. I’d seen it on Saturday morning but conditions were too windy to pick it up. I’ve picked up balls in windy weather before and had them blow off the deck repeatedly; sometimes I’ve had to ‘rescue’ them several times before I can get them back to the beach. So I decided to leave it where it was and pick it up on Sunday morning if it was still there. It had blown into the cattails a little but I was able to retrieve it. A little girl picnicing with her family was delighted to have an unexpected ball to play with.
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Dragonfly: Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa)

Widow Skimmers are the most numerous dragonflies at our place at the moment. True to their name, they are skimming across the field near the house and near the road, rarely alighting. I got some of these photographs before they became active; otherwise, It’s been easiest to get photographs in the morning or late afternoon when it's cooler and they're warming in the sun.

Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) - Female

This photograph of a female shows the pattern on the wings but not the gold stripe along the abdomen.

Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) - Female

The gold stripe along the side of the abdomen on a female is shown clearly in this photograph.

Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) - Male

Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) - Male

These photos show the slightly different pigmentation pattern on the wings, the light patches on the upper thorax and the absence of a gold stripe on the abdomen.

Identification resources:
- Dragonflies of Georgia: Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa)
- BugGuide: Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) [Male] [Female]
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Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)

The Variagated Fritillary is another solitary butterfly. It is a ‘flighty’ butterfly, continuously on the move, flitting from place to place, rarely staying still for more than a few seconds. Very frustrating to photograph...

It usually sits with wings folded.

It sits and flicks its wings open intermittently but rarely holds them open long enough to get a photo. I stalked this particular butterfly for some time and captured many images before I succeeded in getting a good photo of it with its wings open.

Identification resources:
- West Central Georgia Butterflies by Michael Beohm: Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)
- BugGuide: Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) [Wings open] [Wings folded]
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American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)

The American Lady is another of the butterflies that visit the bush alone, rarely accompanied by others of their species.

Usually, they work the flowers with their wings folded.

Rarely, they sit with wings open.

Identification resources:
- West Central Georgia Butterflies by Michael Beohm: American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
- BugGuide: American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) [Wings folded] [Wings open]
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