I have moved Arizona Odes to its own domain so if any of you have
bookmarked it, please change to http://www.azodes.com.  Thanks to a
number of you, but particularly Doug Danforth, most species are now
accompanied by a photo.  Stay tuned for more enhancements as time
allows.

Ann Johnson
aj@hologrambirds

File        : /At Risk Odonata -BICK.rtf
   Uploaded by : bigsnest <bigsnest@...>
   Description : BOA paper re. species in peril
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Doug and all,
I think Dennis Paulson has a link to a list of species from Mexico by
state on his biodiversity site.
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/UPSdragonflies.html
Kathy

Douglas Aguillard wrote:
>
> Does anyone have any information concerning the Odes of Baja California. I
would assume that most of Upper Baja is much like Southern California in
species, but what about Lower Baja? Are there any endemics, or species found on
the mainland that also occur in Baja? Any information would be much appreciated.
>
> Douglas Aguillard

Does anyone have any information concerning the Odes of Baja California. I would
assume that most of Upper Baja is much like Southern California in species, but
what about Lower Baja? Are there any endemics, or species found on the mainland
that also occur in Baja? Any information would be much appreciated.



Douglas Aguillard
San Diego, CA
doug@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Odonatics,

The Santa Cruz "River" in Tucson, just west of Columbus Park, seems to be a
good local place to watch odonates right now. Much of the activity seems to
be concentrated at the edge of the willows on the west bank downstream from
the point where a seep has created a mesquite bosque beyond the NE corner of
the park's lake. I was here Sunday morning and again yesterday afternoon,
and most of the bugs were at the same general area, probably because of good
sun angle, lots of open space for hunting, and an abundance of perches. New
for me was Red-tailed Pennant. I managed to get a photo of a female which I
have uploaded to my folder at this group's website.

Good Odonating,

Rich
---

Monday, October 27
Santa Cruz River, Tucson, Pima County
Familiar Bluet    Enallagma civile    4
Rambur's Forktail    Ischnura ramburii    1
Blue-eyed Darner    Aeshna multicolor    4
Common Green Darner    Anax junius    12
Red-tailed Pennant    Brachymesia furcata    3
Pale-faced Clubskimmer    Brechmorhoga mendax    10
Flame Skimmer    Libellula saturata    2
Roseate Skimmer    Orthemis ferruginea    10
Variegated Meadowhawk    Sympetrum corruptum    20
---
Rich Hoyer
Tucson, Arizona

Senior Field Leader
WINGS, Inc.
http://www.wingsbirds.com
---

Rich, Ann And Bud, What an impressive list. Sycamore is a great area for Odes
this time of year. We were in Sycamore about a year ago in late September and
had a similar list. We also had Sympetrum sgniferum which is the farthest west
it has been found. I have an idea on your mystery Ischnura. Could it have been a
female Hesperagrion heterodoxum? They look so much like an Ischnura female. Also
you have Argia vivida on your list. That would be a great find. We have
virtually no records south of the Colorado River. Could it have been Argia
extranea? They also have an unforked humeral stripe like A. plana but are deep
royal blue. The key for them is the black saddle mark on segment two and the
humeral stripe is stair-stepped. I am posting photos of the female
heterodoxum,extranea male and vivida in the the photos section. I am also
posting a photo of Argia sabino which is also very blue. We discovered this
colony last year in Sycamore. This is very fortuitous since the colony in Sabino
  Canyon was possibly wiped out by the ash flow from the Catalina fire. Doug




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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thursday, October 23

Dear Odenoids,

Today Ann Johnson, Bud Gode, and I had a great time looking at every odonate
along Ruby Road from Peña Blanca Lake to Sycamore Canyon, from about
10:00-3:00. I'm pasting our total list below, but I'm sure that I'm
forgetting some damselfly. Perhaps the best ones were Spot-winged Meadowhawk
and Persephone's Darner (I've put photos of both in my album, link below).

And of course we didn't identify every damselfly we saw, especially females.
But we did net quite a few and had a fabulous time studying the cerci and
epiprocts. This led us to one mystery forktail that didn't seem to match
anything. Well, we all seemed to agree right away that it was an Ischnura,
but then again, maybe that's where we went wrong. It was a long day, but I
expect that Bud is carefully going through the dichotomous key and using his
dissecting scope to find out what it was at this very moment.

Great Spreadwing    Archilestes grandis    10
Aztec Dancer    Argia nahuana    5
Springwater Dancer    Argia plana    25
Vivid Dancer    Argia vivida    20
Arroyo Bluet    Enallagma praevarum    15
Painted Damsel    Hesperagrion heterodoxum    5
Mexican Forktail    Ischnura demorsa    15
Rambur's Forktail    Ischnura ramburii    10
Desert Firetail    Telebasis salva    25
Blue-eyed Darner    Aeshna multicolor    2
Persephone's Darner    Aeshna persephone    1
Common Green Darner    Anax junius    8
Plateau Dragonlet    Erythrodiplax connata    3
Neon Skimmer    Libellula croceipennis    5
Widow Skimmer    Libellula luctuosa    3
Flame Skimmer    Libellula saturata    3
Roseate Skimmer    Orthemis ferruginea    2
Blue Dasher    Pachydiplax longipennis    2
Mexican Amberwing    Perithemis intensa    8
Filigree Skimmer    Pseudoleon superbus    2
Variegated Meadowhawk    Sympetrum corruptum    20
Spot-winged Meadowhawk    Sympetrum signiferum    6
Black Saddlebags    Tramea lacerata    1

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/sowestodes/lst?.dir=/Hoyer

Good Odeing,

Rich
---
Rich Hoyer
Tucson, Arizona

Senior Field Leader
WINGS, Inc.
http://www.wingsbirds.com
---

Hi all,
Some of you met Roy, our new DSA pres, at the DSA CA meeting in June.
I thought some of you might enjoy learning more about him:
http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/living/special_packages/hidden/7077290.htm
Kathy
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------------------------------------------------------------------
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308 Bloomfield Rd.               Sebastopol, CA  95472
-----------------------------------------------------------------
dba Azalea Creek Publishing      azalea@...   fax: 707-584-7668
http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest/azaleacreekpublishing/
-----------------------------------------------------------------

I just added a photo of a female to the photo section of the web
site. It was taken in July at the Patagonia Rest Stop south of
Patagonia, Arizona.

Douglas Aguillard
San Diego, CA
doug@...

Hello all and pardon my cross posting,

Because there aren't many images of this species, the Brimstone
Clubtail, on the Internet yet (that I know of), I wanted to post that
I'd just put scans of a female up:
http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest/Pond/dragons/BRIMSTONE.html

Kathy Biggs
--
California Dragonflies          http://www.sonic.net/dragonfly
Bigsnest Wildlife Pond          http://www.bigsnestpond.net/
Biggs Family Nesting Site        http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest
------------------------------------------------------------------
Kathy and Dave Biggs          bigsnest@...        707-823-2911
308 Bloomfield Rd.               Sebastopol, CA  95472
-----------------------------------------------------------------
dba Azalea Creek Publishing      azalea@...   fax: 707-584-7668
http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest/azaleacreekpublishing/
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Rich and all,

Those certainly look like Great Spreadwings to me!

Your pond damsel is some sort of Dancer (wings held above the abdomen).
And since it doesn't look familiar to me, so I'm guessing that it is not
a species found in CA. The triangles on the sides of the abd. are
interesting. I'll want to know what everyone else thinks.

I'm looking forward too to comparing what we saw in Calipatria, CA area
with what Rich Bailowitz and Doug Dansforth found just a bit over the
state line and a bit farther south in Yuma, AZ.

Kathy



Rich Hoyer wrote:
>
> Monday, October 20
>
> Dear Odonaters,
>
> Oops, first time I've done that. Sorry. The link I just sent is to some
> photos I've been unable to put a solid ID on.
>
> I was in Montosa Canyon yesterday and found that by going another 1.6 miles
> up the road to the next stream crossing that there was actually running
> water! This ravine probably doesn't have running water like this very often
> (this slope got pounded by the monsoon several times), and I wonder if it
> has potential for interesting odonates. Fresh, running, fish-free water
> anywhere in southern Arizona is a pretty rare thing, especially in a nice,
> sunny location like this. I did watch a darner I couldn't identify, and I'm
> thinking it was either Persephone's or Riffle Darner. The eyes didn't look
> very blue, the stripes on the sides of the thorax appeared to be partly to
> all yellow, and the habitat is very different from the still pond water
> where I've seen Blue-eyed Darners. Needless to say, they never landed, and I
> don't have a net.
>
> I did get photos of three spreadwings here, which I think might be Great
> Spreadwings, comparing to photos I've found on the Web. Anyone able to
> confirm this?
>
> At the first (dry) stream crossing in Montosa were over a dozen RED ROCK
> SKIMMERS, all cruising pretty high, and a couple FILIGREE SKIMMERS (which
> did perch).
>
> I've also posted another spreadwing that I photographed on Saturday the 18th
> at the St. David Monastery south of Benson, Cochise Co., Arizona. This was
> at fish pond, but it still seems to match Great Spreadwing most as well.
>
> The final photo I posted is of a female pond damsel of some kind from
> Whitewater Draw in the Sulphur Springs Valley, and I have no idea where to
> start with this one. (I still don't own Tim Manolis' book, which I'm sure
> would help, if only to narrow down the possibilities).
>
> By the way, Guadalupe Canyon in the far southeastern corner of the state is
> a horrible disaster due to a lack of rain. It's clear that this region got
> only a fraction of its usual summer allotment, with the skimpy herbaceous
> growth already dry, the cholla all shriveled, and even the sycamores looking
> stressed. The streambed was bone dry, not even a puddle. As a result, we saw
> only two female ROSEATE SKIMMERS and one FILIGREE SKIMMER. Birds and
> butterflies were also scarce.
>
> http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/sowestodes/lst?.dir=/Hoyer
>
> Happy Bugging,
>
> Rich
> ---
> Rich Hoyer
> Tucson, Arizona
>
> Senior Field Leader
> WINGS, Inc.
> http://www.wingsbirds.com

Monday, October 20

Dear Odonaters,

Oops, first time I've done that. Sorry. The link I just sent is to some
photos I've been unable to put a solid ID on.

I was in Montosa Canyon yesterday and found that by going another 1.6 miles
up the road to the next stream crossing that there was actually running
water! This ravine probably doesn't have running water like this very often
(this slope got pounded by the monsoon several times), and I wonder if it
has potential for interesting odonates. Fresh, running, fish-free water
anywhere in southern Arizona is a pretty rare thing, especially in a nice,
sunny location like this. I did watch a darner I couldn't identify, and I'm
thinking it was either Persephone's or Riffle Darner. The eyes didn't look
very blue, the stripes on the sides of the thorax appeared to be partly to
all yellow, and the habitat is very different from the still pond water
where I've seen Blue-eyed Darners. Needless to say, they never landed, and I
don't have a net.

I did get photos of three spreadwings here, which I think might be Great
Spreadwings, comparing to photos I've found on the Web. Anyone able to
confirm this?

At the first (dry) stream crossing in Montosa were over a dozen RED ROCK
SKIMMERS, all cruising pretty high, and a couple FILIGREE SKIMMERS (which
did perch).

I've also posted another spreadwing that I photographed on Saturday the 18th
at the St. David Monastery south of Benson, Cochise Co., Arizona. This was
at fish pond, but it still seems to match Great Spreadwing most as well.

The final photo I posted is of a female pond damsel of some kind from
Whitewater Draw in the Sulphur Springs Valley, and I have no idea where to
start with this one. (I still don't own Tim Manolis' book, which I'm sure
would help, if only to narrow down the possibilities).

By the way, Guadalupe Canyon in the far southeastern corner of the state is
a horrible disaster due to a lack of rain. It's clear that this region got
only a fraction of its usual summer allotment, with the skimpy herbaceous
growth already dry, the cholla all shriveled, and even the sycamores looking
stressed. The streambed was bone dry, not even a puddle. As a result, we saw
only two female ROSEATE SKIMMERS and one FILIGREE SKIMMER. Birds and
butterflies were also scarce.

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/sowestodes/lst?.dir=/Hoyer

Happy Bugging,

Rich
---
Rich Hoyer
Tucson, Arizona

Senior Field Leader
WINGS, Inc.
http://www.wingsbirds.com
---

Monday, October 20

Dear Odonaters,

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/sowestodes/lst?.dir=/Hoyer
---
Rich Hoyer
Tucson, Arizona

Senior Field Leader
WINGS, Inc.
http://www.wingsbirds.com
---

Hi SW Odesters,

seems I posted about the lack of Variegated
Meadowhawks a bit too soon. Yesterday along the Rio
Salado, Ann Johnson, Steve Kinder and I saw many of
these little guys. Maybe they're just coming out later
than during the last couple of years because the warm
temperatures have lasted later into the fall than
normal.

Cheers,
Pete Moulton
Phoenix AZ

=====
QUESTION AUTHORITY (short form of the Scientific Method)

If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, someone will still construe it
as a hybrid.-Fickity

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Hi all,

Dave and I headed down to Southern CA for a combined family visit with
our sons and giving programs on Dragonflies and Wildlife Ponds to San
Bernardino and Sea & Sage Audubon Chapters.

When we realized we'd be as close to the Salton Sea as we'd get this
year we tried to make arrangements to get into Dos Palmas. That failed
(they never replied to my query) but that didn't matter as Bob Miller
invited us to join him south of there and we knew that that would give
us a fabulous opportunity to see more of the desert dragonfly species as
well.

We'd hoped to get to look for dragons in the Whittier Narrows area on
our way to San Bernardino, but alas, our air conditioning failed on our
trip south and we spent Weds. instead, getting it repaired. No way we
were heading down to the Brawley area without it!

BTW: I know many of you are also birders and I want to tell you that the
San Bernardino Natural History Museum has a FABULOUS bird display. The
mountings are the best we'd ever seen and the collection is quite
complete. Any time you want to head that direction, a visit would be
well worth your time.

Bob had mentioned an area where we should stop and look for dragons
along the way, and so we did. This spot was along the route from
Redlands to Calpatria on Highway 111 in the Bombay Beach area along the
Salton Sea. There were two little creeks/ditches crossing under the
highway with water in them. At road marker 55.5 we found
Desert Forktail - several (possibly Rambur's seen also)
Common Green Darner - several
Variegated Meadowhawk - several
Black Saddlebags - one
and at a spot just about 1/2 mile north of the previous spot:
Desert Forktail - many (possibly Rambur's seen also)
Dancer sp. - one male seen, of the CA/Aztec type
Common Green Darner - several
Roseate Skimmer - one male, the first time we've seen this species in
CA
Variegated Meadowhawk - several

Then we reached Calpatria and picked up Bob Miller and we spent the
afternoon together chasing odes. Bob's already reported that although it
was supposed to be 'cooler' it was a mid Oct scorcher! As he said, 104
is better than 114 but, truthfully, the odes were so good that we didn't
mind!  For us it was wonderful to see so many Roseate Skimmers and
Desert Forktails and also the many many Blue-ringed Dancers. Several
places we stopped we also netted bugs to bring home to scan, and that's
my work for today as soon as I get this posted, so check the website
tomorrow....

As Bob reported, we had two especially nice finds. The female Brimstone
Clubtail was one we worked hard for. We'd just about given up. We were
at the end of Sinclair Rd. and it was HOT and Bob had just said, "I'll
walk to the end of this row of vegetation and then we'll turn around." I
was about 20 ft behind him. He reached the end of the vegetation and
turned around, walked halfway towards me and just then a dragonfly flew
in and landed in the Arrowbrush right next to me. A quick glance told me
it was nothing I'd ever seen before. Being almost useless with a net, I
called Bob over and he quickly scooped it up in his net. It turned out
to be a female Brimstone Clubtail (Styluris intricatus). Dave quickly
walked over from where he was searching on the other side of the
vegetation as, not only was this a lifer for us, but a member of the one
CA genus we'd never seen at all before (Styluris)! :-). We were
definitely
happy!

After that we drove along the Highline canal to a spot where Bob thought
we'd have another chance to find a Styluris. We didn't, but Bob netted a
dragonfly and when we regrouped he was holding it and asked, "What in
the world is this?" We spent a minute looking at it before we realized
it was a female Gray Sanddragon (Progomphus borealis)! This was a lifer
for Bob
and for all of us, this is TWO months later than any other one had ever
been found in CA, so it is also new flight season data (gotta change
that Southwest book one more time....)

So, both of these Clubtails were found along the East Highline Canal
from about Sinclair to Montgomery Roads along the NE edge of Imperial
Valley.
The complete list of dragonflies seen on this route:
American Rubyspot - a few
Blue-ringed Dancer - abundant
Familiar Bluet - some along the Highline Canal
Desert Forktail - quite a few
Powdered Dancer - several; both color forms of the female & a male
collected to scan for the website (Bob caught the male with his bare
fingers!)
White-belted Ringtail - many
Gray Sanddragon - the female was netted, photoed and then released at
the far end of Sinclair Rd.
Brimstone Clubtail - a female collected to scan for the website at the
far end of Sinclair Rd., and a lifer for the Biggs
Common Green Darner - several
Roseate Skimmer - common
Black Saddlebags - only a few sighted
Variegated Meadowhawk - quite a few, inc. ovipositing pairs
Wandering Glider - several at the far end of Sinclair Rd.
...and we made the 'teens' in # of species ... that's always the sign of
a GOOD DAY!

We needed to head to Orange Co. the next day, but had enuf time to spend
an hour or two with Bob again, who had so graciously taken time off from
work to be with us and show us the best spots (if any of you ever want a
good guide, we can recommend him, see his Southwest Birders site). We
wanted to collect some Rambur's Forktails to send to Dennis Paulson, so
that was the morning's goal. But first we stopped the Ruddy Ground Dove
site near Calpatria. Seen there were
Roseate Skimmer - abundant, a male and female collected for scanning for
the website. And Bob and Dave had a peak at the Ruddy Ground Dove.
Then at some small canals near the intersection of Brant & Baughman Rds.
we found the Rambur's we were looking for. Also found -
Familiar Bluet - some
Desert Forktail - some
Rambur's Forktail - some, several males collected and one day-glow
female seen
Common Green Darner - several
Blue-eyed Darner - one seen
Western Pondhawk - ~4
Variegated Meadowhawk - several
Black Saddlebags - one
On the drive back to our motel, we stopped at Ramer Lake very quickly to
see if it was worth our coming back to. There we saw our only Blue
Dasher of the trip - one male seen.

Bob had mentioned a spot to check along our route to Orange Co. on Poe
Rd. off Highway 78. We stopped there briefly at a canal near the end of
the road. Seen there were
Forktail sp. - a few
Common Green Darner - a few
Wandering Glider - several
Roseate Skimmers - many
Variegated Meadowhawk - several
Also seen there was an American Bittern and we looked for a rare gull.

We didn't have time to go odeing in Orange Co. but CalOders Sandra Hume
and Liz Cooper took us out to a (delicious!) dinner and we also saw
CalOder Don Mitchell at the Sea & Sage meeting.

We spent that nite with folks some of you may know, Cat Waters and her
husband Robert. From there we began our loop towards home. We made only
one more ode stop, this was at Piru Creek (along I-5, just south of
Pyramid Lake) for about 20 mins. We hoped to see Serpent Ringtails, as
Tim has found this to be a good site for them, but no luck. Seen were
Flame Skimmer -- 2-3
Skimmer sp -- 2-3 seen as silhouettes up in the tree tops, Variegated in
shape
Dancer sp -- 1 large one with smoky wings was probably a Sooty
Dancer sp -- 1 blue and black colored one of the Vivid/CA/Aztec type

So, that's the trip. Now to start scanning!

BTW: I hear that Green Darners were as numerous as footballs at the
49ers game yesterday ;-)

Kathy

--
California Dragonflies          http://www.sonic.net/dragonfly
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Biggs Family Nesting Site        http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest
------------------------------------------------------------------
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308 Bloomfield Rd.               Sebastopol, CA  95472
-----------------------------------------------------------------
dba Azalea Creek Publishing      azalea@...   fax: 707-584-7668
http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest/azaleacreekpublishing/
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hi All,

Last week a photographed a female Spine-tipped Dancer, which I placed in an
album with my name on this group's website
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SoWestOdes).

I tried identifying it by perusing photos on the web, but failed, finally
sending it to Dennis Paulson who recognized it immediately. It turns out he
does have a scan of a female on his website, possibly the only on-line photo
available.

I was wondering if there's any more information on the occurrence and
distribution of this species. The range maps available are no more specific
than county, but it does seem to be a southeastern Arizona specialty in any
case. But how good of a find is it? Is it widespread here? Anything known
about its natural history? Do I have to wait for a book to be published?

The one I found was in the totally dry Montosa Canyon on the west slope of
the Santa Rita Mountains, Santa Cruz County AZ.

Happy Odeing,

Rich

P.S. A couple friends and I are going birding in Guadalupe Canyon tonight
and tomorrow, and I'm hoping there are at least some puddles of water there.
There could be some really cool odonates in there, and I will certainly
lobby for a stop as we pass San Bernardino NWR.
---
Rich Hoyer
Tucson, Arizona

Senior Field Leader
WINGS, Inc.
http://www.wingsbirds.com
---

Hi SW Odesters,

yesterday Martin Reid posted to the TexOdes list that
Variegated Meadowhawks seem to be very few this fall
in his areas around Ft Worth, and I've noticed exactly
the same lack around Phoenix. Normally this is the
most common dragonfly here in October, but this year
I've seen almost none. Is this a widespread
phenomenon, or just local to our two areas?

Cheers,
Pete Moulton
Phoenix AZ

=====
QUESTION AUTHORITY (short form of the Scientific Method)

If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, someone will still construe it
as a hybrid.-Fickity

__________________________________
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Hi folks,

Because of an obviously burgeoning interest in the Odonates (Dragonflies and
Damselflies) of Texas, and the lack of a dedicated listserv for folks with
such an interest, i have taken a great liberty in starting one. My own
interest lies in documenting the fauna of Kerr and Trinity and surrounding
counties in Texas, as well as traveling with Greg Lasley across the state to
document Odonates in "under-oded" counties. I have previously posted reports
on some of these trips to TxButterflies, but find myself somewhat squeamish
to do so on a Lepserv. So, spurred by the recent addition of a SouthWest
Odes listserv, i thought i would set one up for Texas. I hope this is not
viewed as usurping anyone's turf, i simply wanted a forum.

Anyone may join, through Yahoo Groups, and may then post. I will banish
flamers and bozos (including myself if necessary).

Please feel free to forward this announcement to anyone and any other groups
you feel might benefit.

The group is at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TexOdes

The email for members to post is TexOdes@yahoogroups.com

You can yell at me at hurricanetg@...

tony g

tony gallucci
hunt, kerr county, texas
http://flying.to/KerrFauna
http://TexasNature.rulestheweb.com

_________________________________________________________________
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Get high-speed for as low as $29.95/month (depending on the local service
providers in your area).  https://broadband.msn.com

Hello,

I have a question about Archilestes grandis, the Great Spreadwing. Today
David Hoffmann and I were in the field and found several pair
ovipositing into CA Bay Laurel (Umbellularia californica). [full report
to follow CalOders]

I've known them to oviposit into Willow and Alder before, but not Bay.
Is this behavior at all unusual?

I've posted a terribly fuzzy photo at
http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest/Pond/Lists/argrd3pr.jpg

The tree was quite scarred from their usage of it, apparently from prior
years. There were willows nearby, but they didn't overhang the creek and
this Bay did.

Thanks for any comments.
Kathy Biggs


--
California Dragonflies          http://www.sonic.net/dragonfly
Bigsnest Wildlife Pond          http://www.bigsnestpond.net/
Biggs Family Nesting Site        http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest
------------------------------------------------------------------
Kathy and Dave Biggs          bigsnest@...        707-823-2911
308 Bloomfield Rd.               Sebastopol, CA  95472
-----------------------------------------------------------------
dba Azalea Creek Publishing      azalea@...   fax: 707-584-7668
http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest/azaleacreekpublishing/
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Doug and all,

Yes, meadowhawks frequently are found in very high concentrations, esp.
in the fall when they are often the dominate genus. Sometimes, esp. here
in the mts. in CA, they can rise in clouds as one walks thru the
grasslands surrounding a lake in late summer, early fall.

Too bad about the Setwing. Neat that you got a photo of it before
however! I'm hoping to find a place to host a SouthWest Dragonfly site,
akin to my CA one, and if I do, I'd love to post that pix on it!

Kathy Biggs

--
California Dragonflies          http://www.sonic.net/dragonfly
Bigsnest Wildlife Pond          http://www.bigsnestpond.net/
Biggs Family Nesting Site        http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest
------------------------------------------------------------------
Kathy and Dave Biggs          bigsnest@...        707-823-2911
308 Bloomfield Rd.               Sebastopol, CA  95472
-----------------------------------------------------------------
dba Azalea Creek Publishing      azalea@...   fax: 707-584-7668
http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest/azaleacreekpublishing/
-----------------------------------------------------------------



dougofbis wrote:
>
> Richard Bailowitz, Sandy Upson and I visited Parker Canyon Lake and
> the stream below the Dam last Saturday. We were looking for Dythemis
> maya which we thought might be in the canyon. I had photographed a
> male below this spot in late September a couple of years ago. We have
> revisited that spot many times but have not found it. We did not find
> any maya but did find hundreds of Sympetrum signiferum. The west
> slope of the Huachuca Mountains continues to be a stronghold for this
> beautiful and only recently described species. By the way, seeing
> hundreds of this species is not uncommon this time of year. Do other
> species of Sympetrum congregate in such numbers elswhere? Doug
> Danforth
>

Richard Bailowitz, Sandy Upson and I visited Parker Canyon Lake and
the stream below the Dam last Saturday. We were looking for Dythemis
maya which we thought might be in the canyon. I had photographed a
male below this spot in late September a couple of years ago. We have
revisited that spot many times but have not found it. We did not find
any maya but did find hundreds of Sympetrum signiferum. The west
slope of the Huachuca Mountains continues to be a stronghold for this
beautiful and only recently described species. By the way, seeing
hundreds of this species is not uncommon this time of year. Do other
species of Sympetrum congregate in such numbers elswhere? Doug
Danforth

Thanks everyone for your help.
First of all the cu abdomen and thorax shots were from bugs caught a couple
of hours afterwards and especially those from Ode #1 probably are not the
same species as the whole bug pictured.
Concensus is as follows:
Ode #1:  Lavender Dancer Agria hinei
Ode #2  Springwater Dancer A. plana
Ode #3  Familiar Bluet Enallagma civile

I'll correct the website.

--------------------
Hank Brodkin
Carr Canyon, Cochise County, AZ
hbrodkin@...
SouthEast Arizona Butterfly Association (SEABA)
http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasa/home.html
"Butterflies of Arizona - a Photographic Guide"
by Bob Stewart, Priscilla Brodkin and Hank Brodkin
http://home.earthlink.net/~hbrodkin/index.html
----- Original Message -----
From: <BUDGODE@...>
To: <hbrodkin@...>
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 8:48 PM
Subject: Re: [Odonata-l] Re: Damsels for ID - Arizona


> Hi Hank,
> Tried the keys in Westfall & May but too many clues not visable in pics. I
> really need the cerci. Abdomen of #1 sure looks like Argia fumipennis
violacea
> but the thorax doesn't. Hope Bob can help.
> Let me know the results of your inquiry.
>
>
>
>
>

I have added shots of thorax and abdomen and some notes to my page:

http://home.earthlink.net/~hbrodkin/ODES.html

Maybe that will help with ID.

Ode #3 by all who have replied is Familiar Bluet Enallagma civile .

Thanks again to all.

--------------------
Hank Brodkin
Carr Canyon, Cochise County, AZ
hbrodkin@...
SouthEast Arizona Butterfly Association (SEABA)
http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasa/home.html
"Butterflies of Arizona - a Photographic Guide"
by Bob Stewart, Priscilla Brodkin and Hank Brodkin
http://home.earthlink.net/~hbrodkin/index.html

Hello all,

I'm Kathy Biggs and, like Ann, I'm not actually in the physical space
that Doug used when defining this group. I'm 'here' because over the
past several years I've realized that the SoWest is an area with quite a
unique Odonata fauna that none of the present guides cover well enough
to help folks begin to learn the dragonflies there. So, taking on the
problem, I've been working for several years now on a guide to the
dragonflies of the SouthWest. It will encompass a 'large' view of the
SoWest and cover not only Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, & Colorado but
also Utah and California. This is because much of the fauna of southern
CA and Utah is shared with the 'traditional' SoWest area. Anyway, I
really hope to have the book available before the next flight season,
and it will feature photos taken by Peter Moulton, Dustin Huntington,
Bob Behrstock, Bob Miller, Bob Parks, Steve Potter, Doug Danforth,
Gordon Warrick, Rod Miller, Doug Aguillard, Rosser Garrison and others
who have frequented this area or are lucky enough to live there.

Anyway, I didn't mean to make this so much of an 'advertisement' -  I do
love the Odonata of the SouthWest and have enjoyed traveling to New
Mexico for their dragonfly festival and meeting Robert Larsen, Karen
Gaines & others there and then meeting Rich Bailowitch and Doug Danforth
at this year's DSA meeting here in CA.

I'm looking forward to hearing what folks are seeing.

Good odeing everyone!

Kathy
Ps. Thanks to Ann and Peter for the AZ site!

--
California Dragonflies          http://www.sonic.net/dragonfly
Bigsnest Wildlife Pond          http://www.bigsnestpond.net/
Biggs Family Nesting Site        http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest
------------------------------------------------------------------
Kathy and Dave Biggs          bigsnest@...        707-823-2911
308 Bloomfield Rd.               Sebastopol, CA  95472
-----------------------------------------------------------------
dba Azalea Creek Publishing      azalea@...   fax: 707-584-7668
http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest/azaleacreekpublishing/
-----------------------------------------------------------------

From the odonata-l group in response to a question about the barbs along
the wing veins of dragonflies:

This wasn't in my cerebral hard drive but was at hand in the form of my
collection of hundreds of odonate wings, which happens to be in the
museum, and I just
looked at some of them under a 25x dissecting scope. All the families
that occur in the US and Canada have fine spines projecting from both
sides of the wing veins
perpendicular to the wing plane. Under high magnification they're
lethal-looking, but they are very tiny. I guess we really don't know
what their function is, although
Nick's suggestion seems reasonable, as certain kinds of turbulence are
considered an asset in dragonfly flight. I can't imagine they have an
anti-predator function;
they're too small, and they should be on the dragonfly's body to do
that. It's worth speculating about a sensory function, as air will flow
over them in flight. Or
detecting air movements when at rest? Possibility of sound production?
What other possible explanations could there be?

The relative length of the vein spines varies in the different families;
they are shortest in Calopterygidae and my only specimen here of
Euphaeidae, and perhaps that's
characteristic of the Calopterygoidea. They are distinctly longer in
Lestidae, Megapodagrionidae, Coenagrionidae, Protoneuridae, and the
anisopterans. They are
spectacularly long in Gynacantha and only a little less so in
Triacanthagyna, in contrast with other aeshnid genera. What's going on
here? What about dusk-flying
might select for longer spines? The only other dusk-fliers for which I
have wings here are both species of Tholymis, and their spines aren't
especially long. I should
check Neuraeschna and Neurocordulia at home. I checked only a few genera
of the large families.

The edges of the wings are furnished with an array of small, short and
thick spines all around, pointing toward the wingtips. Under
magnification they're impressive,
and there are some differences in size in the different families. There
may be some generic or even specific differences; my survey was very
cursory. Indeed, this wing
armament is worthy of much further thought, telling us a story that we
haven't deciphered yet. Why have spiny instead of smooth wing veins?

Here's a thought: the fine comblike barbs on the forward edge of owl
wings (actually the outermost primary feathers) are thought to reduce
turbulence by breaking
down the overall turbulence into many pockets of "microturbulence,"
which is thought both to aid in flight efficiency and to reduce the
sound made by the wing
passing through the air. Could this be the case for dragonflies? Would
it aid them in approaching sound-sensitive prey?

In any case, if you have a dragonfly collection and a good dissecting
microscope, take a look; it's really fascinating. We've progressed from
Dragonflies Through the
Microscope to Dragonflies Through Binoculars, and all the people who
started at the DTB stage ought to "regress" and enjoy dragonflies at
high magnification for a
completely different look and a great appreciation of what wonderful
creatures they are. Catch one and put it under a dissecting microscope
alive, and it'll take your
breath away!

Dennis Paulson

I just added a third to the page below - it looks like an Ischura and only
perches on vegetation.

Hank Brodkin
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hank Brodkin" <hbrodkin@...>
To: "SouthWest Odes" <SoWestOdes@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: "Rich Bailowitz" <raberg2@...>; "Robert A. Behrstock"
<rbehr@...>; <danforthdg@...>
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 12:34 PM
Subject: Damsels for ID - Arizona


> We live near the bottom of Carr Canyon in the Huachucas.  This morning I
> photoed two male damsels perching on the edge of artificial pond.  I was
> hoping I might get an ID, maybe with a clue for the reason for the ID.
> Click on (or type in if you are on AOL):
>
> http://home.earthlink.net/~hbrodkin/ODES.html
>
> Thanks!
>
> --------------------
> Hank Brodkin
> Carr Canyon, Cochise County, AZ
> hbrodkin@...
> SouthEast Arizona Butterfly Association (SEABA)
> http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasa/home.html
> "Butterflies of Arizona - a Photographic Guide"
> by Bob Stewart, Priscilla Brodkin and Hank Brodkin
> http://home.earthlink.net/~hbrodkin/index.html
>

We live near the bottom of Carr Canyon in the Huachucas.  This morning I
photoed two male damsels perching on the edge of artificial pond.  I was
hoping I might get an ID, maybe with a clue for the reason for the ID.
Click on (or type in if you are on AOL):

http://home.earthlink.net/~hbrodkin/ODES.html

Thanks!

--------------------
Hank Brodkin
Carr Canyon, Cochise County, AZ
hbrodkin@...
SouthEast Arizona Butterfly Association (SEABA)
http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasa/home.html
"Butterflies of Arizona - a Photographic Guide"
by Bob Stewart, Priscilla Brodkin and Hank Brodkin
http://home.earthlink.net/~hbrodkin/index.html

--------------------
Hank Brodkin
Carr Canyon, Cochise County, AZ
hbrodkin@...
SouthEast Arizona Butterfly Association (SEABA)
http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasa/home.html
"Butterflies of Arizona - a Photographic Guide"
by Bob Stewart, Priscilla Brodkin and Hank Brodkin
http://home.earthlink.net/~hbrodkin/index.html

Thanks to Doug for setting up this group.  I live about 1500 miles from the
southwest but have been birding Arizona, etc. since the late 70's.  About
five years ago I really got seriously interested in odes and along the way
ran into Pete Moulton who was another birder/odonater in the Phoenix area.

In my "spare time" I do a lot of web development and Pete had some great
photos of Arizona odes that needed a place for display.  Combined with my
frustration of not finding much web info on Arizona dragonflies, I put
together a pretty unsophisticated but functional first crack at a pictorial
checklist for Arizona using Dennis Paulson's range maps.  I've not
advertised its presence because frankly, it's not done, but if anyone is
interested it is found at http://www.hologrambirds.com/arizona.  Maybe now
that things are really cooling off here in the north country I can get back
at it.

I will be heading to Phoenix to see my son in about two weeks so I hope to
see a few messages on here before I go.  Ma has to do something while the
kids are at work!

Looking forward to learning from you all.

Ann Johnson
Norwalk, IA
41°26.89N  93°34.71W
aj@...
http://www.ajendeavors.com

   -----Original Message-----
   From: aguillard2469 [mailto:doug@...]
   Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2003 9:30 AM
   To: SoWestOdes@yahoogroups.com
   Subject: [SoWestOdes] Welcome to SoWestOde


   I wanted to wait for a few days, before I sent a message to the
   group, so that we would have some people on the list.

   Again Welcome and thank you for joining. It would be nice if
   everyone would give us a short introduction of yourself, and start
   sending messages of your sightings out in the field or any other
   discussion that's appropriate for the group.

   I live in San Diego, CA., but I have a great interest in the
   Southwestern section of the Country. I'm into birds, butterflies,
   and dragonflies. I own other list including CalBirds, SDBirds,
   SoWestLep, and CalOdes. I'm into Butterfly and Dragonfly photography
   and my web site is http://sdbirds.basiclink.com

   CalOdes has really taken off, and it has been amazing with the
   amount of information going back and forth, and sightings reports
   have increased significantly. I hope the same happens here.

   Again, thank you for joining and start posting away. Attachments are
   not permitted on the list, but you can post any photos in the photo
   section, and files in the file section. You must have a Yahoo ID to
   access the website fully.


   Douglas Aguillard
   San Diego, CA
   doug@...



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thursday, October 2

Hi Ode People (Odists? Oders?),

I'm still just getting into dragonflies and have only barely attempted
damselflies. I try the dragonflies through binoculars approach (using the
book of the same name), but am very often frustrated and am beginning to be
convinced that a net will be necessary for up-close inspection of a lot of
species that apparently don't land. And even if they do land, and I get a
photo, I often end up sending it to Bob Behrstock, Rich Bailowitz, or Dennis
Paulson for identification. Such as a Gray Sanddragon that I recently
photographed near my home, which simply wasn't identifiable using the book.
I'm eagerly awaiting a better book and one that includes damselflies of
southern Arizona.

I was out yesterday to areas south of Tucson and saw hundreds of dragonflies
everywhere, even far from water. Right now is a very good time here, almost
anywhere. One particularly good place was Peña Blanca Lake west of Nogales.
I recognized my lifer Plateau Dragonlet there, and Widow Skimmers, Mexican
Amberwings, Common Green Darners, and Black Saddlebags were all abundant.
Probable Blue-eyed Darners were in the willow woods, but they are too hard.
(The text and photos in D through B contradict each other in describing
Blue-eyed versus Arroyo Darners.) I'd sure like to know what else was there.
At other places during the day were Spot-winged Gliders and Flame and
Roseate Skimmers. I'm also pretty sure I saw Wandering Gliders. I'm also
still trying to figure out one mystery dragonfly that landed on the ground
at the Green Valley sewage ponds. Best match so far is Hoary Skimmer, but I
don't think that was it. The two yellow spots at the base of the thorax were
the only two obvious field marks, and the whole animal was rather brownish
than gray. Eyes and face were gray. I'm going to spend some time at
http://www.sonic.net/dragonfly/ to see if I get anywhere with it.

If you go  to Peña Blanca Lake, be sure to let us all know what you are
seeing. It'll help us newbies figure out what the possibilities are.

Happy Oding,

Rich
---
Rich Hoyer
Tucson, Arizona

Senior Field Leader
WINGS, Inc.
http://www.wingsbirds.com
---

I wanted to wait for a few days, before I sent a message to the
group, so that we would have some people on the list.

Again Welcome and thank you for joining. It would be nice if
everyone would give us a short introduction of yourself, and start
sending messages of your sightings out in the field or any other
discussion that's appropriate for the group.

I live in San Diego, CA., but I have a great interest in the
Southwestern section of the Country. I'm into birds, butterflies,
and dragonflies. I own other list including CalBirds, SDBirds,
SoWestLep, and CalOdes. I'm into Butterfly and Dragonfly photography
and my web site is http://sdbirds.basiclink.com

CalOdes has really taken off, and it has been amazing with the
amount of information going back and forth, and sightings reports
have increased significantly. I hope the same happens here.

Again, thank you for joining and start posting away. Attachments are
not permitted on the list, but you can post any photos in the photo
section, and files in the file section. You must have a Yahoo ID to
access the website fully.


Douglas Aguillard
San Diego, CA
doug@...