DSA Species of the Month: Hine’s Emerald (Somatochlora hineana)

The Dragonfly Society of the Americas species of the month is the Hine’s Emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), part of the Corduliidae or Emerald family. Dennis Paulson, author of Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East, notes this species is 58-63 mm long (just under two-and-a-half inches), with a flight time of June-August within its range, which is restricted mainly to the Midwest. The Hine’s Emerald dragonfly’s preferred habitat, he writes, is an area with a spring and dolomite underlay, often associated with fens. It is the only dragonfly on the United States Endangered Species List. Join dragonfly chaser Cindy Crosby as she learns more about the efforts to ensure the survival of this unusual species.

Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), Door County, WI. July 2012 (Copyright Dan Jackson)

Growing Up Endangered

Some people want to hear Bob Dylan in concert before they die. Since I began chasing dragonflies in 2005, I’ve wanted to see a Hine’s Emerald dragonfly in the wild. For more than a decade and a half, they eluded me. And then… .

Urban Stream Research Center, Blackwell Forest Preserve, Warrenville, IL. March 18, 2024. (Copyright Cindy Crosby)

Snow is falling as I pull up to the Urban Stream Research Center in Warrenville, IL, located in DuPage County, Illinois’ Blackwell Forest Preserve. I push a buzzer, and Aquatic Resources Supervisor Andres Ortega opens the locked doors and greets me with a smile. It’s been several years since I’ve visited the center, and I’m eager to see what’s changed. Ortega ushers me past posters about mussels and fish to where the real action is happening in the back. 

Here, the federally endangered Hine’s Emerald dragonflies are waiting for me. Hundreds of them. But unrecognizable as such to most people. The center is a captive rearing facility, where dragonfly nymphs live until they can be released into good local habitat. 

Hine’s Emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) nymphs in two sizes, Urban Stream Research Center, Blackwell Forest Preserve, Warrenville, IL. March 18, 2024 (Copyright Cindy Crosby)

Along the back wall, large industrial refrigerators hold trays of dragonflies in both nymph and egg stages, housed in small sample cups (think about your last urinalysis, and you’ll know the cup). The process of obtaining these dragonflies is laborious. Ortega tells me that University of South Dakota staff go out in June and July to capture females flying along the Des Plaines River watershed, just outside Chicago. Female Hine’s Emerald dragonflies, he tells me, come to sexual maturity quickly after emergence, and have a good chance of being mated and ready to lay eggs when captured. Once in hand, the scientist taps the female’s abdominal tip into the sample cup of water, which prompts her to release her eggs. 

Hine’s Emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) eggs, Urban Stream Research Center, Blackwell Forest Preserve, Warrenville, IL. March 18, 2024. (Copyright Cindy Crosby)

These eggs, about 100 average in each ovipositing sample, went to Dr. Daniel Soluk’s laboratory at the University of South Dakota, where the Hine’s Emerald is extensively studied. In October, they were redistributed to three receiving centers, including the Urban Stream Research Center here.  Some years, Ortega says, the center may receive more than a thousand eggs; other years, like 2023, a drought year in the Midwest, the number may be as little as 300.

Aquatic Resources Supervisor Andres Ortega checks a sample cup of Hine’s Emerald dragonfly nymphs (Somatochlora hineana), Urban Stream Research Center, Blackwell Forest Preserve, Warrenville, IL. March 18, 2024 (Copyright Cindy Crosby)

Through the winter, cups of eggs are refrigerated at temperatures around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, in the dark. In the spring, Ortega will float the cups in special water tanks in which the water is gradually warmed, to hatch the eggs. However, egg hatch can happen as early as January, he tells me, so he and his associates will check the refrigerator about once a week to see how the eggs are progressing. It’s tricky, he notes, as the more he checks them, the more they are exposed to light and warmth, which may trigger a hatch.

Hine’s Emerald dragonfly nymph (Somatochlora hineana), Urban Stream Research Center, Blackwell Forest Preserve, Warrenville, IL. March 18, 2024 (Copyright Cindy Crosby)

The eggs and eventually, the nymphs are carefully segregated into groups from specific areas, as Ortega said the genetics of each region are specific enough that they want to keep that integrity intact. Once hatched, they are next moved to rearing cups where very young nymphs are fed a diet of microworms, and older nymphs are fed wild-caught zooplankton (mostly copepods, Ortega said). 

Hine’s Emerald dragonfly nymphs (Somatochlora hineana), Urban Stream Research Center, Blackwell Forest Preserve, Warrenville, IL. March 18, 2024 (Copyright Cindy Crosby)

Later, as the nymphs move through instars toward maturity, they’ll be placed into large raceway tanks during the growing season. When in the tanks, they’ll roam in 65 degree Fahrenheit water and  feed on isopods (think aquatic “roly polys”). 

Hine’s Emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana)  tanks, Urban Stream Research Center, Blackwell Forest Preserve, Warrenville, IL. March 18, 2024 (Copyright Cindy Crosby)

In November, the water will be gradually cooled and eventually, the nymphs moved back into the refrigerators. There, they will live in their diapause state until late winter or early spring, when the process is repeated.

The majority of the dragonfly nymphs will reach maturity after about three years of growth under laboratory conditions, Ortega said, adding that in the wild, this may take four to five years. When they near their final instar, they may be taken to areas like Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Lemont, IL. There, under the supervision of University of South Dakota researchers, they are placed in a mesh laundry basket with its bottom submerged two inches deep in a children’s blue wading pool. The nymphs will be monitored until emergence, when they are released from the laundry basket to take to the skies in June and July. There, they will delight—and elude—dragonfly chasers like myself.

Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), Door County, WI. July 2012 (Copyright Dan Jackson)

I thank Ortega for the tour, and return to my car. Snow continues to fall. I think back to a hot day in July of 2023, when I went out with Marla Garrison and fellow dragonfly chaser Joyce Gibbons to a local forest preserve noted for hosting the Hine’s Emerald dragonfly. 

Cook County Forest Preserve, IL. July 10, 2023. (Copyright Cindy Crosby)

We had tramped through head-high cattails and grasses, with water squishing underfoot. Garrison put on her big shiny sunglasses (which seem to attract Emerald family males) and we crossed our fingers. And then… .

Hine’s Emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), Cook County Forest Preserve,  IL. July 10, 2023. (Copyright Cindy Crosby)

“Look!” It was the unmistakable patrolling silhouette of a Hine’s Emerald dragonfly. And—another. And—was that another?

Hine’s Emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), Winnebago County Forest Preserve, IL. June 19, 2021. (Copyright Joyce Gibbons.)

Now, I can die happy. Eat your heart out, Bob Dylan fans! I’ve seen something better—-the adult Hine’s Emerald dragonfly in flight. And it was worth the wait.

Cindy Crosby is the editor of the DSA’s Species of the Month blog, which began in July of 2021. She is the author or contributor to more than 20 books, including Chasing Dragonflies: A Natural, Cultural, and Personal History (Northwestern University Press, 2016). She works with volunteer teams to document dragonflies at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL, and Nachusa Grasslands in Franklin Grove, IL. When she’s not writing or giving natural history programs, you can find her working in her garden in Glen Ellyn, IL. 

Special thanks to Dan Jackson, who contributed his beautiful photos of the adult Hine’s Emerald dragonfly for this blog post.

Species of the Month

Male Baja Bluet (Enallagma eiseni) Santee Lakes, CA June 6, 2020 Copyright Crystal Spaulding.

Baja Bluet (Enallagma eiseni)

March’s DSA species of the month is the Baja Bluet damselfly (Enallagma eiseni). Part of the large family of Pond Damsels, Coenagriondae, Dennis Paulson in Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West notes it is 27-34 mm long (about an inch to just under and inch and a half), and prefers pools, in shallow rocky and sandy streams in arid county. Although it was previously thought to be restricted to Baja California, read on to follow dragonfly chaser Jeffrey Spaulding and his family as they discover the Baja Bluet in an unexpected place.

A Surprising Year With A Surprising Find

In 2020, my wife Crystal and our daughters Laraina and Lakota—all amazing nature photographers— and I were ready to look for as many odes, butterflies, herps, and mammals in San Diego County, California, as we could find. We started out having great success with all but odes. And then, a funny thing happened in 2020…

(L to R) Laraina Spaulding, Crystal Spaulding, Lakota Spaulding, Jeffrey Spaulding, San Diego, CA May 21, 2023. Photo copyright Jeffrey Spaulding.

The global lockdown went into effect and we were shut down for about a month. Once the parks opened back up in early May, we were ticking off new species every weekend and having a great time. 

Doing a little iNaturalist research, I planned for us to go to Santee Lakes just outside San Diego on May 31st for some target odes. I was looking for Mexican Amberwing (Perithemis intensa), Rambur’s Forktail (Ischnura ramburii), and hopefully Red-tailed Pennant (Brachymesia furcata). I was going to try and field identify bluets too as my last attempts were… unsuccessful. According to my Odonata Central checklist, there were six species of bluet (Enallagma) recorded in San Diego County. I pretty much ignored the Baja Bluet since there was only one record and, really, what are the chances? 

The Baja Bluet was thought to be an endemic of the southern Baja peninsula until over 20 were seen and one was collected by Eva and Wulf Kappes at Quitobaquito Springs on the Arizona-Sonoran border in 1992. A photo uploaded by Jamie Simmons to iNaturalist in 2022 shows a Baja Bluet photographed in 1983 at that same location nine years prior! Further records from Arizona, per Odonata Central and iNaturalist and outside of Quitobaquito Springs, come from one photographed in Pinal County in 2018, and several photographed at Canoa Ranch in Pima County in 2020 and 2023. 

In 2006, Tim Manolis, Marshall Iliff, and Richard Erickson found Baja Bluets in Northern Baja California roughly 70 miles south of the California border where they were previously unknown. In 2007, Richard Bledsoe found and photographed Baja Bluet, a first for California, in San Diego County near the US/Mexican border. This record was publicly contested, leaving Baja Bluet “questionable” for California. 

We arrived at Santee Lakes in the late morning, and I walked 10 steps to the edge of one of the lakes and had Rambur’s Forktail and Mexican Amberwing immediately. A Red-tailed Pennant was not too far behind and we even managed a surprise Gray Sanddragon (Progomphus borealis). I think I looked at two bluets before I gave up on identifying them in the field, again, and just started pointing them out for the girls to photograph for me to identify later.

Male Baja Bluet (Enallagma eisen), July 4, 2020 Santee Lakes, CA Copyright Laraina Spaulding.

Upon arriving home, I started with my daughter Lakota’s memory card first. We had mostly Tule (Enallagma carunculatum) and Familiar Bluets Enallagma civile) with a few I thought looked good for Arroyo (Enallagma praevarum). Then, I came upon one photo that stumped me. It was definitely a male bluet. I remember thinking it was odd when I saw it at the lake, but I wasn’t in “identify now” mode. I went back and forth with Dennis Paulson’s Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West and the photo trying to make out what it was, such an odd pattern… wait a minute… .

I have no qualms about saying that the male Baja Bluet (Enallagma eiseni) is the most distinctly patterned Enallagma out there. Most male Bluets are blue but that is not always the case. Bluets can also be Golden (E. sulcatum) or Scarlet (E. pictum) or even Orange (E. signatum). The patterning on the mid-abdominal segments can range from all black to simple, distal black rings. Some have a black marking on top of the middle segments, from the distal ring, that point toward the head.  

Baja Bluets have a pointed arrowhead or spear shape on the top of each of the mid-abdominal segments that point back toward the tail end, not the head. In my observations, the male Baja Bluets also appear a shade of blue lighter than the Familiar and Tule Bluets in direct comparison. A blue stripe through the median black line on the top of the thorax, not unlike a Double-striped Bluet (E. basidens), might also give the appearance of being lighter in color. 

Male Baja Bluet (Enallagma eiseni) May 31 2020, Santee Lakes, CA (Copyright Lakota Spaulding).

The pattern of the Baja Bluet is so distinct, I would almost forget to mention the long, rectangular, and distinct cerci that the males possess. I have not seen any females in the field, but a search of photographs on iNaturalist showed females that appeared either a bronzish green color or bluish andromorphs. Expert Dennis Paulson describes the females as being distinct with a pale S8 that is black dorsally.

Once I realized that I was looking at a photo of a Baja Bluet, I called my wife Crystal into the room. I showed her the photo, I showed her the guide, and I asked to help me figure out what I was missing. She couldn’t find anything so I put the photo up on iNaturalist and tagged expert Kathy Biggs. I posted on CalOdes as well. Expert Jim Johnson quickly answered both with confirmation. Looking through the other photos we were able to find two different individuals. Other experts like Doug Karalun arrived the next day and reported seven individuals. Local lister and photographer Doug Aguillard, the late iNaturalist legend BJ Stacey (working under the name “finatic”), and others were able to see them as well.

Jeffrey Spaulding, Cabrillo National Monument San Diego, CA December 16, 2023. Photo copyright Crystal Spaulding.

Then on the Fourth of July, we found another Baja Bluet at Kit Carson Park in Escondido, just under 16 miles north/northwest of Santee Lakes. We followed up the next year looking to see if a population had been established but found no Baja Bluets at either of these or any other location.  

As for 2020, we finished the year with 41 species of Odonata out of 62 recorded in San Diego County. What a year!

Jeff Spaulding became a life-long birder at age 12 when he discovered birds were far more interesting to watch than dinosaurs. He credits iNaturalist for opening up a larger world of discovery and listing. He also credits a couple of "spark Odes" for starting him down the rabbit hole of... field odonatology?

Jeff has been in emergency medical services for 24 years. He currently works as a paramedic in San Diego where he lives with his wife Crystal and their daughters Laraina and Lakota. When not at work, school, or shuttling between activities, the Spauldings can be found wandering somewhere around San Diego County, planning entire family vacations around iNaturalist, or cheering on San Diego sports teams.

Species of the Month

Female Desert Forktail, Ischnura barberi, at Borax Lake, Harney County, Oregon, September 18, 2010. Photo by Jim Johnson.

Male Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta) in hand, pond at Arizona Beach State Park, Curry County, Oregon, July 29, 2015. Photo by Jim Johnson.

Desert Forktail (Ischnura barberi) and Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta)

The DSA “Species of the Month” for February are Desert Forktail (Ischnura barberi) and Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta). The forktail is a small damselfly about 1–1.4 inches (28–35 mm) in the family Coenagrionidae, favoring alkaline and saline wetlands of the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico. The saddlebags is a mid-sized dragonfly about 1.5–1.9 inches (41–49 mm) in the family Libellulidae, ranging widely from the Great Lakes region and the southwestern US south to Venezuela and throughout the West Indies. Read on to hear about dragonfly chaser Jim Johnson’s adventures with these two species.

Two Fantastic Oregon Firsts

This is my tale of two “firsts” for the state of Oregon in the United States. The first was a completely unexpected, serendipitous find of a lone individual in 2010. The other followed a surge of multiple individuals toward the state, reported nearly in real time, and intercepted with tactical precision followed by additional reports over a large region of the state in 2015. These two events share one characteristic: the species involved have not been found in Oregon again. So far.

My First “Oregon First” —Desert Forktail, (Ischnura barberi)

Borax Lake is an interesting place to visit in the remote high desert of southeastern Oregon. In an arid landscape with many usually dry lake beds, this one looks out of place. It’s a 10-acre lake on a raised mound and always full of water. You might not realize it just by looking, but it is the product of an active geothermal spring below the lake’s surface. The mound on which the lake rests was created by the deposition of precipitates, like borax salts, over eons. 

Borax Lake, Harney County, Oregon, July 29, 2023. Photo by Jim Johnson.

The site attracted commercial borax miners and their mule teams, who delivered their product to Winnemucca, Nevada. That ended in 1902. The site is now permanently protected by the Nature Conservancy, but you can still see a rusting iron boiler there, used to collect the borax. In the shallows of the lake, you can also see tiny “guppies” which are the Borax Lake Chub (Gila boraxobius), in the only place on Earth they call home. This species was removed from the US Endangered Species List in 2020.

On September 18, 2010, I was visiting Borax Lake with friends Steve Valley and Josh Vlach. While wandering around the lake’s margin, I encountered a female damselfly that I did not recognize. My first sight of it was as it escaped a mob of male bluets (mostly Alkali Bluets, (Enallagma clausum) over the lake’s surface. The throng of harassing damselflies lost interest when the subject of their pursuit took refuge in a lakeside greasewood shrub only a few feet from where I stood. I was able to take a closer look and obtain a few photos as the damselfly took a breather, but I was perplexed by this obscure thing with virtually no thoracic pattern. It was clearly a female coenagrionid, but I could not be certain of anything else at that moment. I netted it and took it home for a closer examination.

 Female Desert Forktail, Ischnura barberi, at Borax Lake, Harney County, Oregon, September 18, 2010. Photo by Jim Johnson.

Only when I was able to examine the specimen critically did I realize that it was a female Desert Forktail, (Ischnura barberi)—a first for Oregon. Not only that, but it was at the time—and still is now—the northernmost record for the species. This find was quite a shock since this species was not on my “wish list” of species that might be found in Oregon. Borax Lake seems like the perfect place for it.

So, where there’s one there must be more, right? There must be a breeding population there at Borax Lake or somewhere nearby.

Borax Lake aerial view, Harney County, Oregon, June 22, 2007. Photo by QDM at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boraxlake.jpg).

Surely, more were to be found during repeated visits in the years that followed. No! It was a singular event involving a single individual. Maybe there is a little, overlooked pocket of preferred microhabitat harboring a population of them, and we have not stumbled across it. Or maybe that one individual was carried aloft into Oregon like aerial plankton, and she dropped down on that jewel of a lake in the middle of a wide-open expanse of desert. We’ll never know what happened in her case, but I keep looking for more.

My Second “Oregon First” —-Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta)

During mid-July 2015, the Pacific Northwest was on the cusp of a heat wave. Associated with this was a thermal low-pressure trough extending from central California north into western Oregon. Reports of Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta) reaching coastal northern California were coming in on odonate-related email listservs and Facebook groups. Tony Kurz found one in coastal Del Norte County only about 10 miles from the Oregon border. What is 10 miles to a broad-winged “glider” with a warm tail wind? I knew it was time to act.

Male Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta) in flight, pond at Arizona Beach State Park, Curry County, Oregon, July 29, 2015. Photo by Jim Johnson.

Steve Valley and I were able to travel to the southern Oregon coast on July 29, 2015. I had a particular site in mind for our first stop during the warm early afternoon hours. It was a pond at Arizona Beach State Park; about 45 miles north of the California border, a fraction of a mile from the Pacific Ocean, and easily accessed from Highway 101. 

Pond at Arizona Beach State Park, Curry County, Oregon, July 29, 2015. Photo by Steve Valley.

Within a minute of exiting the vehicle, we spotted multiple Red Saddlebags mingling with many Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata). It was difficult to estimate how many Red Saddlebags were present, but we figured that there were at least four lone males plus a tandem pair. Likely more were present, coming and going between the pond and the surrounding landscape. The dragonflying was not only figuratively hot, but it was literally hot with a high temperature of about 100°F. Very unusual for the normally temperate Oregon coast!

Male Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta) in hand, pond at Arizona Beach State Park, Curry County, Oregon, July 29, 2015. Photo by Jim Johnson.

We had no idea at the time, but this find was only the beginning of a Red Saddlebags incursion into the western portions of the state which would extend 175 miles, be experienced by many people, and last for almost two months. But as far as we know, the species has not reappeared. Some wondered if a continuing population might result since plenty of ovipositing was observed, but there was no sign of offspring the following year. I  suspect our winter temperatures are too cold, for too long, for the nymphs to survive.

Still Looking

I’m sure both species will be observed in Oregon again, but it’s going to take a lot longer than I thought. Thirteen years and counting in one case; eight plus years in the other. I could go on about randomness and serendipity on one hand, and research and strategy on the other, but sometimes what matters is just getting out and looking. 

And patience. Lots of patience.

Jim Johnson has been chasing odonates since 1995—mostly in the Pacific Northwest. He has served on the DSA executive council as Regular Member, President, Secretary (currently), and as a member of the ARGIA/BAO editorial team since 2005. Contact him at gomphusjim@gmail.com.

Species of the Month

N. pentacantha (Cyrano Darner) Ovipositing female. Esopus, NY, USA. 06-22-2020. Photo by Frank Beres.

January Species of the Month: Cyrano Darner (Nasiaeschna pentacantha)


The DSA Species of the Month for January is the Cyrano Darner (Nasiaeschna pentacantha). The Cyrano Darner is the sole member of the monotypic Nasiaeschna genus in the much larger Aeshnidae family, collectively called “darners” in North America.  This large darner measures around 2.5 to 2.8 inches (62-73mm) and is widespread from the Great Lakes to Maine, and south to Florida and Texas.

“A great nose may be an index
Of a great soul”

–Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, 1897

Detail of eyes and head of a male N. pentacantha (Cyrano Darner). Esopus, NY, USA. 05-28-2023.  Photo by Frank Beres.

Let’s get this out of the way immediately: The common name of N. pentacantha is derived from its large, protruding frons—a reference to the legendary nose of 17th century French poet Cyrano de Bergarac, who was also the subject of a famed 1897 play by Edmond Rostand. The frons is technically more of a forehead on insects, so I’ve come up with a few additional common names just in case: “Highbrow Darner,” “Intelligent Darner,” or perhaps the whimsical “Noggin Darner.” For now, we’ll stick with Cyrano.

The Cyrano Darner is striking in appearance not only for the panache of its great nose, but also in the  vibrant blues and greens that are common amongst the darners. These colors are on full display here in the beautiful, multifaceted eyes; in the distinctive, angular markings that point backwards down the abdomen; and even on that famed frons. In flight, the species appears large and intimidating—and it acts intimidating, too.

Male N. pentacantha in-hand after a fortuitous netting attempt. Esopus, NY, USA. 05-28-2023. Photo by Frank Beres.

 Detail of eyes and head of a male N. pentacantha (Cyrano Darner). Esopus, NY, USA. 05-28-2023.  Photo by Frank Beres.

Cyranos are known for methodical, looping patrol flights with wings angled slightly upward over slow-moving bodies of water, often above pool sections of streams. This should be a boon to dragon-hunters trying to photograph them in-flight, considering that they almost never land in the heat of the day—but they are easily distracted from patrolling by other species that dare to cross through their paths. It is almost guaranteed that every time one gets a Cyrano in focus, they will veer off course to slam into other species with similar behaviors: the River Cruisers (Macromia spp.), Black-shouldered Spinyleg (Dromogomphus spinosus), Prince Baskettail (Epitheca princeps), Common Green Darner (Anax junius), and even the much larger Swamp Darner (Epiaeschna heros). In case you wondered, it takes about 45 minutes of looking through a viewfinder to obtain a perfectly half-sunburnt face. 

N. pentacantha in-flight over Burroughs Sanctuary Pond. Photo by Frank Beres. Esopus, NY, USA. 06-17-2022. Photo by Frank Beres.

In addition to hunting in-flight, Cyranos are known for the unique behavior of “gleaning:” the process of plucking perched prey off vegetation. I remember tracking a Cyrano at the former cabin of naturalist author John Burroughs in Esopus, New York, when it suddenly soared upwards out of its monotonous patrol and slammed into the pondside vegetation. I stood, amazed and unable to act, as it took about eight seconds to effortlessly carry a struggling and bewildered Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) into the treetops, presumably for a lunch date.

 N. pentacantha oviposits as a Pachydiplax longipennis (Blue Dasher) observes from above. Highland, New York, USA. 06-25-2022. Photo by Frank Beres.

While the Cyrano may be common throughout the southern part of its range, it is an uncommon find here in New York. It may even be in decline as efforts from the 2005-2009 statewide Odonate survey failed to locate the species in any of the eight counties with historical records, leading to a New York Natural Heritage Program state ranking of S2S3 (Imperiled or Vulnerable in this state). However, four new counties were added during the survey, and the first for Ulster County was later recorded on Black Creek in June of 2020. I’ve reliably seen them on pool sections of this stream and nearby lakes ever since. While I’ve never seen them in tandem, I’ve watched freshly-hatched tenerals hang in the canopy and have stumbled upon several instances of egg-laying.

Distribution range of N. pentacantha from OdonataCentral.org (Edited). December 2 2023. (Odonata Central - Dragonfly & Odonate Species Maps and Range Maps)

New York State ranking, distribution, and phenology from the 2010 NY Natural Heritage Program DDS report. New York Dragonfly and Damselfly Survey - NY Natural Heritage Program (nynhp.org)

Like all darners, the Cyrano oviposits by injecting eggs into plant material, with a preference for woody debris. Last year, I watched one that continually whirred its wings while ovipositing into a small stick, creating a small Cyrano-powered raft that traveled almost halfway across the pond, dodging the Blue Dashers and Common Green Darners—how fun is that? I also remember one instance of chasing an ovipositing female, frantically trying to switch lenses while balancing precariously on a fallen log with an impending thunderstorm on the horizon. The adventures of Cyrano never cease.

All the juggling and struggling is worth it for the opportunity to see and document the next generations of Cyrano Darners being secured.

N. pentacantha (Cyrano Darner) Ovipositing female. Esopus, NY, USA. 06-22-2020. Photo by Frank Beres.

References:

Munroe, K. (n.d.). Dragonflies of Northern Virginia. http://www.dragonfliesnva.com/.

New York Natural Heritage Program. 2023. New York Natural Heritage Program Databases. Albany, NY.

Paulson, D. 2011. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East. Princeton University Press, Princeton,New Jersey, USA.

White, Erin L., Jeffrey D. Corser, and Matthew D. Schlesinger. 2010. The New York Dragonfly and Damselfly Survey 2005-2009: Distribution and Status of the Odonates of New York. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY.

Frank Beres is a Hudson Valley naturalist and ecologist for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. In addition to photographing and documenting rare species of Odonates, he leads many interpretive walks each year to introduce others to the wide world of biodiversity. Contact him on Instagram (@phrankberes) or via email at othernaturephoto@gmail.com.

ARGIA 35(4) is Available for Download

ARGIA 35(4) is Available for Download

The latest issue of ARGIA, the DSA's quarterly news journal, is available on the DSA's website.

This issue of ARGIA contains:

A memoriam section dedicated to the late Michael L May.

The first sneak peek at the next DSA Annual Meeting, which will be held in Marietta, Ohio, 28–30 June 2024.

The next Nymph Cove installment, which discusses how to differentiate between the different Cordulegastridae and Macromiidae genera.

Some wonderful photographs of odes and their dinners.

and more!

DSA members can login to download the issue.

Amanda Whispell
Editor-in-chief of ARGIA

Species of the Month

 Helicopter Damselfly (Mecistogaster ornata), perched on a nearby grass and about to fly away, Cuernavaca (Morelos), Mexico. Photo by Catalina M. Suárez Tovar, 2020.

December Species of the Month: Ornate helicopter damselfly (Mecistogaster ornata)

The December DSA “Species of the Month'' is the Ornate Helicopter Damselfly (Mecistogaster ornata),  a species belonging to the subfamily Pseudostigmatinae (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae). This subfamily is morphologically characterized by their long abdomen and the absence of pterostigma, or its modification into a false multiple-cell pterostigma. It encompasses some of the largest damselfly species, with an average total length of 87 mm (almost three and a half inches). Its distribution ranges from Mexico, through Central America, and extends across a significant portion of South America, reaching Brazil and Argentina. Read on to enjoy the story of how Colombian biologist Catalina M. Suárez Tovar and master’s degree student Iván Sandoval García encountered this intriguing species.

The Quest for the Helicopter Damselfly

Mecistogaster ornata Rambur, 1842 the lemon-tipped helicopter or ornate helicopter.

“…it is the hesitation that grants it its charm, resolution or distress take away any grace.” 

—Byung-Chul Han

It was December 2019 and we were sampling central Mexico’s state of Morelos. In order to study Odonata communities and their changes in an urbanization gradient, we were looking for adult Odonates in rivers and streams of different localities. In each site, we conducted a comprehensive characterization of vegetation, measured various physico-chemical properties of the water, and reported on characteristics of the urban environment. Subsequently, we documented the species of dragonflies and damselflies, along with the abundance of each species.

One of the places visited is located in Temixco (Morelos). Near a highway with a large traffic flow, we found a site with shrubs, trees, and herbaceous vegetation. The river was quite deteriorated due to garbage and waste discharge from nearby homes. There were even pieces of cloth on the trunks of the trees, several meters high, which during the rainy season were carried away by the current. Despite the contamination present in this site, during our sampling we were able to observe many individuals of the genera Hetaerina, Argia, Archilestes, Apanisagrion and Macrothemis. They took advantage of the remnants of aquatic and herbaceous vegetation, as well as some rocks, to perch and take in the sun rays that the tallest trees allowed to pass through.

 The location where the authors first saw the Helicopter Damselfly (Mecistogaster ornata) in 2019, Temixco (Morelos), México. Photo by Catalina M. Suárez Tovar, 2019.

An Unexpected Encounter

Iván's story: Among the 19 locations we visited for the project, it was in this very disturbed site where something unexpected happened. We were about to leave the site. I was looking around in search of more Odonates when I saw a damselfly descending from the nearest tree. The beating of its wings was hypnotic and erratic. It flew slowly, and its wings seemed to be shining because of the angle of the sunlight. It went down until it stopped a meter off the ground and a few centimeters from me.  It took me a moment to react. I tried to catch it with my net, but a bush was in the way. The damselfly slowly rose to the top of the same tree, with what seemed to me to be a carefree and indifferent flight towards my attempt to capture it. I had never seen this species! What was it?  I was surprised that I couldn't catch it despite its slow flight.

Cata’s story: Ivan told me at the end of the workday that he had seen an unusual damselfly.  He said, “It was a large damselfly. Each wing was about six cm long. It flew slowly and had yellow tips on its wings. It seemed to hypnotize me. When I tried to catch it with my net, it was already very high and I couldn't reach it anymore.” I immediately remembered the species records that we had reviewed before going out into the field and I told him: Mecistogaster ornata! I looked for some photos of the species, and when I showed it to him, he confirmed it. 

Helicopter Damselfly (Mecistogaster ornata), perched on a nearby grass and about to fly away, Cuernavaca (Morelos), México. Photo copyright Catalina M. Suárez Tovar.

These damselflies are typically found in the canopy, where prey such as spiders are abundant. They lay their eggs in accumulated water in tree trunks and inside bromeliad leaves. Such water-filled plant cavities are known as phytotelmata.  M. ornata is characterized by yellow spots at the tips of its wings, with a white stripe that outlines the spot, distinguishing it from the rest of the wing. Its flight is relatively slow, with each wing moving independently, resembling the rotation of a helicopter's blades. 

It had only come down from the canopy to visit us briefly, but it didn't get close enough to photograph it. From that moment on, the entire work group was attentive to the canopy at the sampling points that we visited in the following days. But we didn't find it again.

The Reunion

One year later, we visited the same locations to conduct samplings as in the previous year. This time we traveled with the precautions and restrictions derived from the Covid-19 pandemic. The city's roads and streets were almost empty, but the amount of waste in rivers and streams surrounded by homes was considerably higher than the previous year. The working group was a little larger than the year before.

Expedition group on their quest for the Helicopter Damselfly (Mecistogaster ornata), Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. Photo taken with Catalina M. Suárez Tovar’s camera, 2020.

Why? Apart from this project, we were taking data for two more projects: one that evaluated the incidence of parasites in Zygopterans and another that sought to quantify color changes of Argia spp. that we found in the urbanization gradient that we had defined. 

We shared the experience of the previous year with the new members of the group. We also placed special emphasis on Mecistogaster, almost like a “Wanted!” advertisement. In this way we were all doing our work in the field, but we paid close attention to the canopy in order to identify the distinctive traits of the described species. 

We returned to the place where we had observed it the previous year, excited by the idea of finding it there again. Although we extended the sampling time in that place, we did not find it.

We continued our journey to a park within a residential area in Cuernavaca, Morelos, which was one of the last sampling places of the year.

Second expedition site in Cuernavaca, (Morelos), México, where the team would find the Helicopter Damselfly (Mecistogaster ornata).  Photo by Catalina M. Suárez Tovar, 2020.

Although the river was surrounded by a large number of trees and herbaceous vegetation, we recorded the presence of waste coming from homes in different parts of the river. We divided up to make observations on different transects. Suddenly we heard a shout! Our friend Xavi saw it flying. He immediately caught it! We all stopped our observations and ran to him, where we could closely observe and photograph M. ornata. 

Iván with the Helicopter Damselfly (Mecistogaster ornata) individual,  Cuernavaca, Morelos, México. Photo by Catalina M. Suárez Tovar, 2020. 

It was a female who seemed calm despite being the focus of attention of seven humans who observed and photographed her at the same time. After a brief talk about the natural history of this species, including a discussion of the oddity of discovering a species typical of tropical forests in two of the most urbanized locations on our tour, we let it fly away. 

Cata Suárez with the Helicopter Damselfly (Mecistogaster ornata), Cuernavaca, Morelos, México. Photo by Ulises Castillo Pérez, 2020.

First, she perched on some tall grasses near the spot where we were gathered to observe her. Then, she continued her wandering flight. A few meters later, she encountered another member of her species. From afar, we saw the yellow spots on its wings appear and disappear above the tallest trees.

We were all in awe of our close encounter with this giant damselfly.

Catalina M. Suárez Tovar is a Colombian biologist passionate about the study of dragonflies and science communication. She does her postgraduate studies in Mexico, where she studies topics related to the evolutionary ecology and conservation of this beautiful group of insects. She is currently finishing her doctoral project where she studied the impact of urbanization on dragonfly and damselfly communities and identified the adaptations of some species to urban environments.

Iván Sandoval García is a master´s degree student specializing in the interactions between beetles and millipedes and their symbionts or parasites. Although he is not an expert in Odonata, fieldwork involving them is his favorite because he finds everything about them astonishing.

Species of the Month

November Species of the Month: River Jewelwing (Calopteryx aequabilis)

This month’s DSA species’ focus is the River Jewelwing (Calopteryx aequabilis). They are in the family Calopterygidae, known as the broad-winged damselflies. River Jewelwings are large damselflies, measuring a little over one-and-a-half inches to a little more than two inches (43-54 mm), and distributed widely across parts of southern Canada and the northern United States. Read on to hear veteran dragonfly chaser and former DSA officer Steve Valley tell about his close encounters with the species. 

The Jewels of Cox Creek

Many years ago, I had given up on finding interesting odonates on Cox Creek in Timber Linn Park in Albany, Oregon, because it was heavily impacted by human activity. The creek is channeled between farm fields as it flows across the Willamette Valley, picking up agricultural runoff. In Timber Linn Park, it flows into a small man-made lake that has a large population of ducks and geese, and also hosted a “timber carnival” with all sorts of water-based human activities, from 1941-2000.  

Cox Creek in Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon is a little odonate wilderness in a city. Photo by Steve Valley, 2023.

Over the years, all the interesting odonate habitats in my area had become filled in or degraded with pollution and/or invasive plants. Then, several years ago, I discovered a nice population of River Jewelwings (Calopteryx aequabilis) on Cox Creek. It’s a fitting name for the genus: Calopteryx: from the Greek means "kalos" (beautiful), and "pteron" translates as wing or feather.

Prior to this discovery the nearest population was 30 minutes to an hour’s drive away from my home. Now I had them on a little stream five minutes from home. Not only were there Jewelwings, but also American Rubyspots (Hetaerina americana).

A male Calopteryx aequabilis perched on a yellow flower. I have tried getting shots of one perched on these yellow flowers for 4 seasons and finally got as close as I could focus for about 10 minutes! Photo by Steve Valley 5-Jul-2023, Cox Creek in Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon.

A female Calopteryx aequabilis perched on a willow leaf surveys her territory. Photo by Steve Valley 15-Jul-2022, Cox Creek in Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon.

Cox Creek has turned out to be very productive, with a rich species diversity for a habitat surrounded by a city, next to a small local airport and a freeway. There, at the stream—wading, observing, and photographing—it is almost as if I have been transported to my own little wilderness.

River Jewelwings are large damselflies with dark semi-translucent wings. Both sexes have structural metallic colored bodies with the male being predominantly dark bluish green and the female being a lighter bronzy green. Structural colors are caused by the refraction of certain colors of light rather than being from colored pigments, but in insects pigments are often involved also. The wings of the males are black on the distal half beyond the nodus and a smoky translucent on the proximal half. The costa vein is also metallic bluish green. The female’s wings are dark, smoky and translucent with a white pseudostigma located where you would find the stigma in other damselfly species’ wings. Both sexes use the wings for various displays (stay tuned!).

An immature female, note the light colored eyes and subtle metallic colors on the face and the distinctive antennae with the L-shaped scape. Photo by Steve Valley 24-May-2022, Cox Creek in Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon.

A mature female, note the eyes have darkened and the metallic areas on the face have shifted to mostly reddish and much of the face has darkened including part of the antennae scape. A slight shift in perspective also shows the lightening of the area around the mouth. Photo by Steve Valley 14-Aug-2023, Cox Creek in Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon.

An immature male with light orange eyes and fairly bright metallic areas of the face. Photo by Steve Valley 16-May-2023, Cox Creek in Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon.

A mature male, note the eyes have darkened to almost black and much of the face has darkened as well. Photo by Steve Valley 20-Jul-2022, Cox Creek in Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon.

I have been fortunate to see all five North American Jewelwing species. All are large, showy damselflies with complex behaviors. In 2020, early in the Covid pandemic,  I started visiting Cox Creek daily with my camera, attempting to shoot any odonates that would let me approach closely. I had lots of time to closely observe the River Jewelwings, which can be amazingly wary, but it did seem that they slowly became acclimatized to my presence.

I was surprised when the Cox Creek population turned out to be the largest, densest population of River Jewelwings I have ever encountered. They were usually the earliest species I would see in the mornings, and stayed active until six to seven pm. I primarily concentrated my observations along a 200 meter length of stream (about 650 feet), but spent about 75 percent of my time on a 50 meter (about 164 feet) stretch in the middle of that. I noted that some males seemed to defend the same territories on multiple sequential days, sometimes from the same favored perch. While perched, both males and females will occasionally flare their wings open and closed.

A male flares its wings. Photo by Steve Valley 30-Jun-2022, Cox Creek in Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon.

Sometimes it seems to be a display in response to members of the same sex perching nearby, but other times there is not an obvious (to me) target of the display.

Both sexes also often slide their abdomen up between their wings (I call this the “wing envelope” posture), but I don’t know if this pose is a display for nearby River Jewelwings or perhaps a way of regulating abdomen temperature.

A male in the “wing envelope” posture that seems to be their default preferred resting position. Photo by Steve Valley 30-Jun-2022, Cox Creek in Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon.

Males are aggressively territorial with other males and will lunge at rival males that land nearby. These interactions can escalate into aerial dogfights that may last up to 10 minutes. They may be joined by males in adjacent territories, and include intricate high-speed chases which can cover 30 meters (about 100 feet) of stream length. Sometimes peripheral males will sneak in and try to occupy the territory while the residents are distracted. 

Males perform a distinctive display directly in front of and very close to females where they hover, bobbing up and down slightly. The pattern of wingbeats when they are doing this maneuver is distinct from all other flight and it is usually performed close to the water surface. Then occasionally, the male will balance on the tips of his hindwings on the water surface in a truly extraordinary “cross display”.

A male performs the cross display where he balances on the tips of his hindwings on the surface of the water. This amazing shot was made by Steve Russell who wrote: “A male River Jewelwing damselfly does his best to entice the female he is chasing to mate with him. Having witnessed this many times now, I am certain that he skims his wings on the water on purpose as part of the "dance." Alas, she rebuffed him and he returned to his strategic perch ready to try again. Photo by Steve Russell 3-Jul-2023, , Black River, Grays Harbor Co., Washington.

We can speculate about how this suite of behaviors developed and evolved, but it looks like fertile ground for more observations and experimentation.

Females also seem to exhibit territorial behavior toward neighboring females by hopping around and landing near intruding females and making frequent wing flare displays.

A young female starts to flare her wings at a nearby female. Photo by Steve Valley 29-Jun-2022, Cox Creek in Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon.

I have also observed females landing in front of males and displaying. They often perch just a bit above the male. Over the course of five to 15 minutes, they will hop down closer until the male flies up and grasps her to copulate.

A female approaches a male from above as he displays just prior to copulation. Photo by Steve Valley 16-Jul-2022, Cox Creek in Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon.

Copulation can last for more than an hour. The male will lead the female in tandem down to the portion of the stream where he wants her to oviposit. She then submerges and will spend 10-30 minutes clinging to the plant and ovipositing under the watchful eyes of her mate. On Cox Creek, the eggs are inserted into submerged plants that are rooted in the stream bottom and wave in the current, occasionally reaching the surface where she will land. 

I watched a lone female enter a male’s territory and attempt to oviposit, only to be attacked by the male who hovered in front of her and repeatedly bumped her until she flew off. His female immediately landed and began ovipositing while I photographed her.

A female oviposits while completely submerged, often for 30 minutes or more, with a bubble of air trapped between her wings that acts as an aqualung. The male usually is perched nearby the whole time observing. Photo by Steve Valley 22-Jul-2022, Cox Creek in Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon.

A female oviposits while completely submerged, often for 30 minutes or more, with a bubble of air trapped between her wings that acts as an aqualung. The male usually is perched nearby the whole time observing. Photo by Steve Valley 22-Jul-2022, Cox Creek in Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon.

After observing this population for four seasons, I have the impression that at least some pairs form a pair-bond that endures for multiple days. In 2024, I hope to conduct marking studies to confirm or refute that hypothesis and to broaden my understanding of River Jewelwing adult behavior dynamics.

Steve Valley is a founding member of DSA, and served as its secretary for many years. He started studying odonates in the 1950s and photographing them in the 1960s when he was a teenager. He was an entomologist and insect imaging specialist at the Oregon Department of Agriculture for many years, and a pioneer in the field of extreme macro focus stacking using high resolution microscope optics and cutting edge digital cameras. Since his retirement in 2017, he has concentrated his extreme macro work on odonates rather than invasive pest insects with his own custom built imaging system. He lives in Albany, Oregon with his wife Robin.

Steve would like to express his thanks to his wife, Robin, for proofreading and suggestions, and to Steve Russell for permission to use his spectacular photo included in this post.

ARGIA 35(3) is Available for Download

ARGIA 35(3) is Available for Download

The latest issue of ARGIA, the DSA's quarterly news journal, is available on the DSA's website.

This issue of ARGIA contains:

A summary of all that occurred at the 2023 DSA Annual Meeting in Oklahoma.

The minutes from the Business Meeting at the Annual Meeting.

The next Nymph Cove installment, which discusses how to differentiate between the different genera of Corduliidae

Some wonderful photographs of odes in, on, and under the water.

And more!

DSA members can login to download the issue.

Jim Johnson, the DSA Secretary, has kindly agreed to take over the ARGIA layout for me and this is the first issue that we have completed together, so we are working through some growing pains and apologize for the tardiness of the issue.

Amanda Whispell
Editor-in-chief of ARGIA

Species of the Month

October Species of the Month: Black Petaltail (Tanypteryx hageni)

October’s DSA Species of the Month is the Black Petaltail (Tanypteryx hageni).  The Petaltails (so called due to the broad, flat claspers of males that resemble flower petals) are a group of 11 species found in Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Japan and North America. The Black Petaltail—​​a mid-sized dragonfly, 5.3-5.9 mm (~2 inches) in length–is found from southern British Columbia in Canada, through western Washington and Oregon, and into California as far south as Sequoia National Park.  They are associated with many mountain ranges in these regions: the Cascades, Olympics, Coast Range, Klamaths, and Sierra Nevadas.  Their habitats are often found at mid-elevations, 3,000-4,000 ft (900-1200m), but can reach 8,000 ft (2400 m), especially in the southern end of their distribution. Here we’ll explore the ecology and life history of these dragonflies with DSA President Chris Beatty.

A Black Petaltail (Tanypteryx hageni) adult perched on a cobra lily (Darlingtonia californica).  Photo by Cary Kerst (Probably Josephine County, Oregon 2009).

In a Hole in the Ground…

In a hole in the ground there lived a…dragonfly?  Not exactly the way that J.R.R. Tolkien begins The Hobbit, but true enough for our topic today, the Black Petaltail (Tanypteryx hageni).

Over the last 15 years I spent many summer days exploring the seeps and wet meadows of northern California and western Oregon looking for this species. My search often begins by looking for holes in the ground.

A view of Cherry Hill Meadow in Lassen National Forest, Butte County, California.  Wet meadows like these are a primary habitat for Black Petaltail (Tanypteryx hageni) nymphs.  Photo by Christopher Beatty, 2010.

Petaltails are an odd group of dragonflies in many ways.  Their nymphs, while aquatic like other dragonflies, live in seepy stream banks and sunny meadows, where springs keep the ground saturated with cool water.  If you take a walk across these meadows be prepared to get your feet wet; each footfall will land with a ‘squelch’, and your footprint will rapidly fill with water.  You will also find thick layers of moss, and often carnivorous plants like sundew (Drosera sp.) or the cobra lily (Darlingtonia californica).  As you scout around, bent over to see the ground clearly, you will from time to time find a small round opening. That’s the entrance to the burrow home of a Black Petaltail nymph.

Like most other petaltail species, Black Petaltail nymphs dig and maintain these burrows throughout their lives, clearing them out and expanding them as they grow larger.  Depending on the type of substrate, these burrows may go down as much as half a meter (about one and a half feet), and sometimes have small chambers at the bottom.  The burrow fills with water from the saturated soil, so the nymphs are still aquatic.  Two other petaltail species, the Gray Petaltail (Tachopteryx thoreyi) and the Chilean Petaltail (Phenes raptor) appear to have given up this burrowing behavior. They still live in fens and seeps, under leaves and other detritus at the surface, coming awfully close to being terrestrial nymphs.

Up-close view of a Black Petaltail (Tanypteryx hageni) burrow entrance.  The entrance is approximately 1 cm in diameter.  Photo by Christopher Beatty, 2010.

A Black Petaltail (Tanypteryx hageni) nymph recently extracted from its burrow by Katie Harding.  Photo by Christopher Beatty, 2010.

Another odd thing about Petaltails is how long they live.  Most species are thought to spend several years as a nymph. The Black Petaltail is estimated to take five years from egg to adult, a very long time indeed for a dragonfly!  At the end of that long period of time they emerge like other dragonflies, flying for six to eight weeks or possibly more in a favorable season. The adult Black Petaltail is black-brown with yellow markings on the thorax and abdomen, a cream face, and brown eyes set apart on its head. Petaltails like to land on light colored surfaces, like boulders or old dried logs.  They are very docile, and will often settle on your hat, shirtsleeve or net, especially if you are wearing light colored clothing.  They are often observed landing on tree trunks, especially later in the day.

A Black Petaltail (Tanypteryx hageni) adult catching a ride on the author’s backpack.  Photo by Christofer Brothers, 2023.

A Black Petaltail (Tanypteryx hageni) adult finds another good perch. Photo by Christofer Brothers, 2023.

The Petaltails are suggested to be a very old family, as much as 160 million years, and the Black Petaltail is estimated to have separated from its sister species in Japan (Tanypteryx pryeri) around 70 million years ago, making them very old species—even older than the mountains they live in.  Maybe even older than old Smaug, the great dragon of Middle Earth, himself.

Black Petaltail (Tanypteryx hageni) adult perched on a tree trunk.  Photo by Ethan Tolman, 2023.

Our October contributor, Christopher Beatty, is an evolutionary ecologist who works with dragonflies and damselflies. His research has taken him to sites in the U.S. and Canada, as well as Spain, Portugal, Kenya, Peru, Colombia, the Fiji Islands and New Zealand. He is a co-editor of the 2 nd edition of Dragonflies and Damselflies: Model Organisms for Ecological and Evolutionary Research with Oxford University Press. He is also a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University. He lives in California with his wife Katie and their son Thomas.

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