Doran and I visited Nova Scotia again in mid-July, now one of my favourite times to visit after seeing so many dragonfly species on our last trip. This time we rented an Airbnb in Middleton – the basement suite of a house right on the Annapolis River. Although the vegetation along the river was much too thick to get close to the water, there were a few well-trampled trails leading down to the water’s edge. In addition, our location was close to both Bridge Street (Highway 10), with Riverside Park on the opposite bank, and the South Shore Annapolis Trail which has its own bridge across the water and runs behind Riverside Park and the Middleton sewage lagoons. We got settled into the apartment, and the following day that Doran and I went exploring. My fiancé had recently become interested in searching out local waterfalls, and as a number of clubtail species can be found on fast-flowing rocky rivers, I was more than keen to accompany him.
Chris Traynor and I chat about dragonflies and damselflies a lot. We both also like to pour over old dragonfly reports, iNaturalist records, and Google maps looking for suitable habitat for this species or that, as well as interesting places to go dragon-hunting in general. It was Chris who, when searching for places to see Clamp-tipped Emerald, thought that Taylor Lake in the northwestern part of Gatineau Park might be worth a visit. There are two iNat records from the area from 2015, as well as one Brush-tipped Emerald record from a few kilometers away. The map shows a variety of ode-worthy wetlands including streams, ponds, seeps and marshes, and an exploratory hike of about 5 kilometers in the fall cemented his impressions and desire to return there during prime dragonfly season. It was also almost completely unexplored for odonates, which made it quite enticing in my eyes, and close to a spot where Chris Lewis and Bob Bracken had discovered a stream with mature Eastern Least Clubtails and other clubtails several years ago. Good Somatochlora spots in the Ottawa-Gatineau region are uncommon, and we both thought would be fantastic to discover one up in Gatineau Park. I emailed Chris Lewis about Chris’s idea to check on the trails around Taylor Lake and revisit some of her and Bob’s footsteps in Gatineau Park, and the three of us made plans to visit its northern reaches on July 8th.
If the first half of June is great for seeing all kinds of pond damsels (Family Coenagrionidae), the latter half is great for seeing all sorts of spreadwings (Family Lestidae). They may not have the bright colours or the variety of hues of the pond damsels, but what the spreadwings lack in colour they make up for with their larger size and the beautiful metallic green colouration of some of the species. Adult male spreadwings are generally one of three colours: metallic green, black, or brown, each developing various amounts of bluish-gray pruinosity on the thorax and tip of the abdomen. They can be easily identified in the hand or in a photograph that clearly shows the tip of the abdomen viewed from above, as each species has paraprocts that are distinctly different in size and/or shape. On the other hand, females and tenerals are generally duller, browner, or sometimes even bronze or orange in colour. Much like female bluets, these spreadwings are difficult to identify in the field; though some can be examined and identified in the hand, others require a microscope. As such, I have never really delved into the difficulties of identifying female spreadwings.
Last year I embarked on a new odonate project: to study the species found at one tiny park along the Jock River. This park, originally named Bow of the Jock Park before it was changed to Terry Carisse Park in 2006, consists of a narrow strip of green space that runs perhaps 500 or 700 meters along the shore of the Jock River on an elevated bank about two meters above the water. The park itself consists mostly of manicured lawn with a wooded swamp at the north end where Mahoney Creek empties into the Jock River, two launching areas for canoes and kayaks, a playground, and a thick band of riparian vegetation that almost completely blocks all views of the river from one end of the park to the other. The Jock River itself is smaller than the Rideau River, much more sluggish, without a lot of rocks or rapids that would attract the clubtails and spiketails found in Gatineau Park. It hasn’t been surveyed for odonates as well as the Ottawa River has, mainly because much of it runs through private agricultural or residential land, with only a few small parks with even smaller access points in Richmond and Ottawa.
When I went out searching for Rainbow Bluets at the Eagleson Ponds on June 10th I photographed all damselflies that had the characteristically pale thorax, orange eyes, and blue markings at the tip of the abdomen as I expected that many individuals that had recently emerged would not have developed their full colouration yet…when most teneral bluets emerge, they are a colourless pale beige with black markings, and it takes time for their colours to deepen. When I found this particular individual damselfly in the grass along the southern-most pond, I assumed it was Rainbow Bluet still developing, snapped a quick photo…then realized the field marks didn’t add up. For one thing, the green shoulder stripes were too wide, and for another, it lacked the narrow blue bar connecting the two eyespots.
The thorax was pale green, and the legs and parts of the eyes appeared orange, but the tip of the abdomen showed two irregular blue markings on top of segments 8 and 9. It had an ovipositor, so it was a female – but what species? When it flew a short distance to a blade of grass close by, I followed in order to get some photographs from the top. The eyespots looked more like those of a forktail which started to make me think: could this be a rare andromorph female Eastern Forktail?
An andromorph damselfly is a female which looks like a male. Female forktails (genus Ischnura) in the northeast can be quite confusing as they have two more colour forms: most have an immature form and a mature form (which, if different from the male, are both considered heterochromatic), and some have a male-like andromorph, or homeochromatic, form as well.
Of the three forktail species found in Ontario, the Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita) is the easiest to identify as the female has only an immature and mature form, both of which have the same broken shoulder stripes (resembling double exclamation marks) as the male and the same black abdomen with no blue markings on any of the final segments. Both forms are considered homeochromatic. A little further south, and once upon a Burnt Lands alvar, the female Citrine Forktail (Ischnura hastata) has only an immature and mature form as well, both of which are heterochromatic. Nothing about the three forms suggests they are all the same species: the male is primarily green and yellow with small black markings on top of the first seven abdominal segments, the immature female is primarily orange with black markings on top of segments 6-8, and the mature female is almost entirely black with brownish or olive markings on the thorax.
Similarly, none of the three common forms of the Eastern Forktail (Ischnura verticalis) suggest they are all the same species, either: the male is primarily green and black with blue markings on segments 8 and 9; the immature female is primarily black and orange; and the mature female is a pruinose grayish purple.
Eastern Forktail (Ischnura verticalis), male
Homeochromatic females are rare and look quite similar to the males, but may also show some variation. The thorax is typically greenish-blue, and the blue spots on top of segments 8 and 9 are variable. Some females may show an orange blush on segments 1-3, with the most orange showing on segment 3. In the photo below showing the profile it looks as though there is a hint of orange on the underside of segments 2 and 3. The thorax is also paler than that of the male, the green colour showing more yellow than blue.
Eastern Forktail, andromorph female
Finding one of these unusual colour morphs is akin to finding a four-leaf clover. This is only the second time I’ve ever seen a homeochromatic, or andromorph female; I saw my first at Hurdman Park many, many moons ago. It, too, had unusual blue markings at the tip of its abdomen. It just goes to show that these damselflies – quite possibly the most common, the most widespread, and most abundant odonate in the northeast due to its ability to colonize just about any still or slow-moving body of water – are worth a second glance as you never know if their own version of the four-leaf clover is lurking among the rest of them.
I’ve been studying the map on iNaturalist over the past few weeks, looking for new parts of Marlborough Forest to explore. In particular, I’ve been looking for ways to access it from the south, where there are very few trails or points of entry….and very few odonate records. Paden Road runs along the southern boundary, while Malakoff Road winds along its eastern boundary. There is one formal trail on Paden Road, and there are other roads that enter the forest and come to dead ends with what look like trails extending beyond them. I found four places that looked intriguing: one such trail extending beyond Mulholland Road at Harnett Road; a place further south on Harnett Road where it cuts through a large wetland; another extension beyond Weedmark Road off of Paden Road; and the Paden Road trail itself. I planned a day outing in June to see if these places were as fantastic for odes as they looked on the map. If I had time, I also wanted to explore Heaphy Road on the western boundary, which runs through another big wetland. I scheduled this project for the second Sunday in June and was looking forward to it; however, when I woke up on June 11th and saw that the forecast called for increasing cloudiness with a low chance of rain later the afternoon I wasn’t sure if I would see many bugs. However, I didn’t want to put it off as it was already almost the middle of June and soon many species would be done for the year.
Spiketails are large, brightly coloured dragonflies that inhabit small or mid-sized streams, usually with a good current in forested areas. There are three species present in eastern Ontario, all with dark brown or black bodies, green eyes, and bold yellow patterns along the abdomen that may cause them to be confused with clubtails in flight. Each species has a dark thorax with two vivid yellow stripes on the side and two smaller yellow dashes on the top. It is the pattern on the top of the abdomen that distinguishes them: the Arrowhead Spiketail has a single line of yellow arrows pointing toward two round spots at the tip; the Twin-spotted Spiketail has two lines of yellow spots with straight tops and rounded bottoms running down the abdomen, set close together; and the Delta-spotted Spiketail has two lines of widely-separated spots running down the abdomen, each pointed and distinctly triangular in shape. Because of their habitat requirements, they are considered local and uncommon, and in Ottawa the Arrowhead Spiketail is considered the rarest of the three.
I wasn’t expecting to find a new species for the Eagleson storm water ponds when I went there this morning, let alone two; my main goal was to look for some Rainbow Bluets in the vegetation around the southern-most pond. My walk started normally enough, with the usual odonates perching in the vegetation: Taiga Bluets, Eastern Forktails, Sedge Sprites, and even a Fragile Forktail. I headed out onto the small spit of land where I used to see Saffron-winged Meadowhawks and Eastern Amberwings perching over the water before the sparse planting of cattails became a solid, impenetrable wall of vegetation. There was one dragonfly here, and I caught a glimpse of the black and white colours as it landed on the ground ahead of me. It was Chalk-fronted Corporal, and at first I thought nothing of it as I snapped a few photos for my iNaturalist project. After all, these dragons were not only common, but also abundant where they happened to emerge. It took me a moment to realize that although I see them quite regularly at Sarsaparilla Trail and in Marlborough Forest, I had never seen one here at the ponds before. It was a new species for my project!
Chalk-fronted Corporal (Ladona julia)
I only saw one as I made my way around the southern-most pond, but then I didn’t have time to check any of the others. Would it be a one-time visitor, like the Racket-tailed Emerald of 2022 or the Violet Dancer of 2020? Or would more follow? I’d seen a noticeable decline in skimmer numbers over the last year or two, so new additions were definitely welcome. There are fewer Common Whitetails, Twelve-spotted Skimmers, Widow Skimmers, Eastern Pondhawks and Dot-tailed Whitefaces around the edges of the ponds than there used to be. While none of these had ever been truly abundant, I would usually see a few on most visits in appropriate weather. I suspect the large number of fish – particularly carp, which feed by disturbing the wetland floor and stirring up sediment containing dragonfly larvae – and growing number of frogs and toads are likely responsible for this decline, but have no evidence to support this theory.
I found some Rainbow Bluets in the vegetation right where I expected them – they seem to prefer the western side of the southern pond – and was reassured when I saw a Common Whitetail a little later, flying over the small J-shaped pond next to the rock bridge before landing on a bare patch of ground sloping down to the water. I was making my way around the pond back to my car, looking for pondhawks basking on the rocks when something black fluttered in the vegetation below me. When I identified it as a male River Jewelwing I was astonished, as this was a species I never expected to find here at the ponds.
River Jewelwing (Calopteryx aequabilis)
River Jewelwings live along medium-sized streams and small rivers with a slow to moderate current and plenty of submergent vegetation. They prefer more open waterways with more sunlight than Ebony Jewelwings, though the two species are often found together along wooded streams. The closest places I’ve seen River Jewelwings are the stream at the back of Jack Pine Trail in Stony Swamp (which I call Spiketail Creek), and Stillwater Creek at Corkstown Road just east of Moodie Drive. The former was a one-time visitor, while the latter was seen during an exploratory excursion in 2015 with Chris Traynor after I saw one away from the water across the road in 2011.
There is a small channel of water that runs south from the Eagleson storm water pond system through farmland before reaching the Jock River at Terry Carisse Park. It has enough of a current to keep it open during mild winters, and I suppose it is just as likely that the River Jewelwing flew up the channel as it is that it flew or was blown south from Stillwater Creek. It’s a mystery as to where it came from and where it was going when it found the ponds, and I expect this to be a one-time visit rather than the harbinger of a new population of River Jewelwings at the ponds.
As I was photographing the jewelwing I saw two Common Green Darners fly by in tandem. This species is common at the ponds, and I usually see one or two patrolling the shoreline every visit in the first couple of months of the season. The pair stopped so the female could lay her eggs, inserting the tip of her abdomen into the water while still connected to the male:
Common Green Darners (Anax junius)
It is always fun adding new species to my project, especially if they become permanent residents: the larger the number of residents, the healthier the ecosystem. Dragonflies and damselflies in particular are good bioindicators of water quality and the health of a wetland, as they require clean water in which to grow as larvae and survive to adulthood. Given that the purpose of the storm water ponds is to collect poor-quality runoff from the surface of the city streets, which often contains road salt, vehicle fluids, bacteria, fertilizers, pesticides and other pollutants, I had my doubts whether these ponds could support a vibrant population of dragonflies. However, with recent additions such as the Orange Bluet, Eastern Amberwing and Band-winged Meadowhawks, whose populations seem to be stable, it seems that the water quality is in fact high enough to allow these species to thrive.
My informal list stands at 35 species as of June 2023, which is the same number as the species recorded on the iNaturalist project, though with two differences: I don’t count the single record of Hagen’s Bluet which shows up there, as the photos do not show sufficient detail for me to identify it; and I do count Prince Baskettail which is not in iNaturalist, as I have seen many but have not been able to photograph or catch one. I don’t count the Northern/Sweetflag Spreadwings which I’ve seen but haven’t been able to catch, either, since identification requires a close view of the male’s claspers….all goals for future visits!
So what species will turn up here next? I’m thinking Powdered Dancer or Halloween Pennant are most likely, but with dragons and damsels one just never knows. As my mentor says, odes – just like birds! – have wings and can turn up anywhere!
Family Corduliidae (the emeralds) is one of my favourite dragonfly families. My love for these green-eyed beauties grew when I started seeing a large number of Williamson’s Emeralds (Somatochlora williamsoni) in Stony Swamp in the summer of 2014; one particular day at the end of June stands out in my memory because I found a total of five emerald species at Jack Pine Trail in one visit (Common Baskettail, Prince Baskettail, Racket-tailed Emerald, Brush-tipped Emerald and Williamson’s Emerald). It was around that time that I realized that I didn’t have to wander too far from home to see such a fantastic variety of wildlife – Stony Swamp in particular is amazing, with the Eagleson storm water ponds close behind. I saw two Williamson’s Emeralds in Stony Swamp in 2018, then none in any subsequent years. The Brush-tipped Emerald population was still present as of last year, with one iNaturalist record (not mine) from Old Quarry Trail on July 1, 2022.
Sunny skies, a predicted high of 20°C, and a day off from work on the last Friday in May meant plans to visit Marlborough Forest for the first time this season with my mentor, Chris L. I had convinced her to come with me to trail E4 north of Roger Stevens Drive, home of the Ocellated Emerald, Ashy Clubtail, and Twin-spotted Spiketail – though it was too early for any of those to be flying yet. No less exciting were the possibilities for the early spring dragons that should be on the wing by now: Harlequin Darner, American Emerald, Ebony Boghaunter, and maybe a Springtime Darner or Stream Cruiser. We were sure to see plenty of whitefaces and other skimmers, some baskettails and a Dusky Clubtail or two, and some gossamer-winged butterflies to keep things interesting…the great thing about Marlborough Forest is that it is home to an amazing number of species not easily found in the city, so anything is possible!
Last year a particular OFNC outing caught my eye: a bioblitz to be held at the Morris Island Conservation Area on September 10th. Morris Island is a fantastic place for a bioblitz; the woodlands and wetlands of this 47-hectare site are home to a number of fascinating wildlife species, including several ode species not regularly found in my area of the city. I had never gone ode-hunting in September there before, as September is past the peak of ode season, with fewer species flying than in June or July. Still, it was a good chance to observe what was still flying there, and maybe find an unusual darner species or two. I attended with Chris T. and Chris L. and we photographed seven species for inclusion on the Morris Island Bioinventory Project on iNaturalist: Skimming Bluet, Eastern Forktail, Fragile Forktail, Powdered Dancer, Halloween Pennant, Autumn Meadowhawk, and White-faced Meadowhawk. So much for finding any cool darners!
On May 20th I received a photo of a large male emerald dragonfly from Chris Traynor. It was a teneral, with brown eyes and crisp, intact wings, but wasn’t so fresh that the wings had that glistening Saran-wrap look. The abdomen was long, thin and black, with an incomplete thin yellowish-white ring near the base. The message that accompanied the photograph was brief: “Don’t have my book. Any ideas?”
After completing cancer treatment last November and recovering from all but a few of the (mostly minor) side effects, I decided to celebrate by returning to Costa Rica in late April. We first visited it 2017 and I loved it so much I made a promise to myself to return. This seemed like a great time as I am finishing up my medical leave and head back to work in May. It is also the beginning of the rainy season when resort prices are a bit lower. I’d been checking flight prices since January, but post-pandemic prices are much higher than my previous trip – unfortunately I couldn’t find any discounts there. We originally planned to stay from Saturday to Saturday, but as it was cheaper to fly out on Friday we decided to do that instead, spending our first night at an eco-tourist lodge on the slope of Rincon de la Vieja volcano. The lodge was great, and I was disappointed we didn’t have time to visit national park it backed onto (Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja) before we left. I got a couple of life birds and butterflies, but saw only a couple of odes: a slightly tattered Black-winged Dragonlet and a couple of probable Wandering Gliders flying over the sun-dazzled parked cars in a small parking area.
Dragonfly season (usually from mid-May to early November) is my favourite time of year. If the Victoria Day long weekend in May is warm and sunny, I’ll be out looking for the first emerging baskettails, whitefaces, and emeralds at some of my favourite spots in Stony Swamp or Mud Lake. I don’t usually see dragonflies before then since I’m busy working during the week, and weekend weather earlier in the month is not always conducive to dragon-hunting. Any dragonflies that I do see prior to the middle of the month are usually Common Green Darners that migrate here from further south. There was one year I found a migrant Common Green Darner at Hurdman Park in mid-April (April 19, 2011), but that is the exception rather than the rule. So when I visited a small pond along on NCC Trail 24 in Stony Swamp I wasn’t expecting to see anything other than the Wood Frogs I could hear calling from around the edges, and certainly not the tiny Spring Peepers with calls so loud you would swear they were right in front of you.
Darner (genus Aeshna) season typically begins in July in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. The two most common mosaic darners, Lance-tipped and Canada, emerge early in the month, along with the slightly less common Shadow Darner. These three species are the most widespread members of this group, and if you see a mosaic darner flying along a forest trail or in an open clearing in the greenbelt it is most likely to be one of these. Lake Darner, Variable Darner, and Black-tipped Darner are considered “uncommon” in the Ottawa-Gatineau region, with the first being a localized species and the latter two species considered to be widespread. I suspect they may be easier to find on the Quebec side of the region, as there are more lakes and suitable bodies of water in Gatineau Park, and Black-tipped Darner has been relatively easy to find there. Finally, the Mottled Darner and Green-striped Darner are both considered “very rare”, with only a handful of records of each. I’ve been lucky to see a few Green-striped Darners in Stony Swamp in recent years, with one individual at Bruce Pit in September 2019 and two individuals at the Beaver Trail in September 2021. I’ve never seen a Mottled Darner, and hope to catch up with this species one day.
OdoNotations 