Arizona Heating Up

Well, the dragonfly activity in Arizona is certainly heating up—as are the temperatures. In fact, the dragonflies are much more active here than they were in Costa Rica a week ago. We went to the Gilbert Water Ranch two days ago and were surprised at all the dragonflies and damselflies that were out to greet us. Here's our odonate list:

Blue-ringed Dancer
Familiar Bluet

Mexican Amberwing
Flame Skimmer
Blue Dasher
Roseate Skimmer

We don't remember seeing the Mexican Amberwing at the water ranch before, so that was a pleasant surprise. Here's a look at one of males we saw:



This small dragonfly looks a bit like a wasp, which may provide it some protection. Notice the dark brownish-red areas on top of the eyes. These are the dorsal fovea, the areas that provide the dragonfly with its best vision.

Just after seeing this dragonfly, we commented on how nice it would be to see the much larger and more brilliantly colored Flame Skimmer. Right on cue, a mature male came in and landed directly in front of us. Here it is:



Shortly after that, we saw this Familiar Bluet, just like the one we saw in Costa Rica:



All in all, a nice day at the water ranch, with lots of dragonflies and damselflies—and this was in addition to the 35 species of birds we saw!

Costa Rica: Familiar Friends

We had a delightful time Costa Rica, enjoying the scenery, wildlife, and friendly people. We found a few odonates, and some were rather familiar to us. For example, we ran across this Familiar Bluet on a small pond on a coffee plantation:



As its name suggests, the Familiar Bluet is a common and frequently seen damselfly, especially in Arizona where they are already out in significant numbers.

The next day, we discovered a Carmine Skimmer, which is found in the United States, and is very similar to the Roseate Skimmers we see frequently in Arizona. Here's a picture of the male:



The female was busy laying eggs on some sheet-metal roofing lying on the ground. I guess it was shiny enough, and polarized light enough, to make her think it was water. The male guarded her until she took off for a rest, then he too took time off and perched conveniently for me to take some pictures.

Costa Rica: Cerulean Dancer

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Costa Rica. It was a first trip to that country for us, and we explored a number of different areas and habitats. Here's a rough look at our itinerary:



We were there during the dry season, which was great for us, but not as conducive to seeing odonates. Even so, we did see a few. Our first was the Cerulean Dancer, which we saw at a small pond on a tour of a coffee plantation. Here's a look at this attractive damselfly:



Notice its "dancer" habit of holding its wings high above the abdomen when perched. Later we saw a pair laying eggs, with the female partially submerged:



Here's a side view:



It would have been interesting to watch to see if the female would eventually go completely underwater, but we had to get back to join the tour. We only had a few minutes to observe this damselfly, and get a few pictures, but it was fun to see a new species for us in a new country.