Thursday, November 6, 2008

MEADOWHAWKS IN NOVEMBER...

I was surprised to see my Meadowhawks still here in November, after a few nights of temps. dipping to the upper 20's. During the last week of October, we had three days of intermittent snow flurries. Upon doing a little more research, I found that the Autumn Meadowhawk is quite hardy and is known to hang around after a few frosts. Now, since November 1st., our daytime highs have been in the 60's and have peaked to 70 degrees. I have noticed that some of the dragons are almost colorless, I know that their colors can fade as they age, I'm assuming this is what I'm witnessing.
Looks like I should have plenty more Meadowhawks next year, wouldn't you say?!





















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36 comments:

Amila Salgado said...

I can feel your elation!
Looks like you will have plenty more meadowhawks next summer!

spookydragonfly said...

Hi Gallicissa...Thanks for stopping back! Have you witnessed some dragonflies to lose much of their color, perhaps as they age? The lighter dragons in some of these photos were actually lighter in color than shown, as I added a little shadow to doctor the sun fade. Honest, quite a few seemed almost albino!

How's that pond coming along?

Amila Salgado said...

Yes spookydragonfly, I have seen such colour changes in our dragons. The whitish appearance is mostly caused by pruinescence, which develope with ageing.

I am sure you will find the following links useful about dragonfly colour change.

http://www.odesforbeginners.com/ID101/dragon_color.aspx

http://www.marietta.edu/~odonata/anaxtemp/anaxtemp.html

My pond: I am done with the digging part, which was all done manually. Its dimensions are 16ft x 8ft x 1-3ft.
And yes, I have lost some weight!

spookydragonfly said...

Hi Gallicissa...Thank you for the three links, I added them to my favorites, I found them quite interesting! Sounds like pruinescense is what I'm witnessing. Sounds like you have a nice sized pond to draw in a few more dragons. Is it located in the sun for your guests to be? If it's 1-3 ft deep, have you given thought to plant growth?

Amila Salgado said...

Hi spookydragonfly,
Pleasure! Glad you found the links interesting. Yes, my pond gets a lot of sun. The sunny spell however, lasts from around 9.00 a.m. to about 4.30p.m. due to dense surrounding vegetation. but I am happy with it. And yes, I will have plants growing in it for sure.

spookydragonfly said...

Hello Gallicissa...Maybe next year we will get a glimpse of your pond as a post?! A chance to show off all your hard work.

Amila Salgado said...

Hi again, spookydragonfly.
That would pretty much be all what you are going to hear from me in the coming year!

spookydragonfly said...

Hi Gallicissa...I'll look forward to seeing it! I was wondering about your water depth because of the increased chance of algae growth. The chance for the growth increases with a shallow depth and alot of sun exposure. Of course, you are not stocking the pond with fish, so maybe you aren't too worried...perhaps you are installing a filtration system. Can't wait to see the photos!

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Very nice post with all the captures. I had one on the side of the house and Tom Aurbor let me know what is was. I posted it Wednesday but shot it on nover
9Th. we now have 8" of snow in NE Ohio.

spookydragonfly said...

Hi Fishing Guy...Thanks for the visit and comments! I saw the Meadowhawks for a few days after this post...I visited your blog...looks like your dragon had the same coloring as some of these here. Can't wait until next year!

matinggeckos said...

Hi,

Nice pics of mating Meadow Hawks. Always good to learn more about dragonflies outside South-east Asia especially in places where there are seasons.

Yes, dragonflies do lose colour as they age. Not only that, the wings will lose their sheen and appear wrinkled.

Cheers
Robin

spookydragonfly said...

Hello Robin...Thank you for the visit and comments! It just surprised me, I suppose, how much color they can lose. I can't wait until next year, we are covered in snow now. Your last post was very interesting...I learned something new!

Anonymous said...

Wow! That last picture is really poetic. Nice! Every time I try to get close to film a dragonfly...it flies away, maybe I scare them?!?

spookydragonfly said...

Hello Letspaint...Thank you so much for stopping by and the comments! The Autumn Meadowhawk in that photo is a very friendly sort of dragonfly, some are more leary than others. Their trusting nature makes for some great captures!

Maria said...

Hi, Spookydragonfly! I like dragonflies too...they are quite amazing and sometimes will hover near your hand if you reach out and call to them....:) Maria

spookydragonfly said...

Hello Maria...Thanks for stopping by and the comments! They are so curious, aren't they? I do have some photos of them landing on me in previous posts..I just love them!

Judy Birmingham (Seeing Anew Blog) said...

What a neat theme for a blog, and a fascinating subject! Your life sounds idyllic. Thanks for your comment on my blog--somehow people's email addresses don't come through, so I wasn't able to respond via email. That's just as well--I'm glad to have discovered your blog and will stop back!

spookydragonfly said...

Hello Seeing Anew...Thanks for stopping by! I enjoyed your blog from "back home"! You might like to stop over at my main blog, too.

Erik said...

I shared your site with my dearest friend. I am certain she will be thrilled with it. It's lovely. Nice captures.

spookydragonfly said...

Hello Erik... I hope your friend stops by...I'm assuming she has an interest in the dragons. Hopefully, beginning next spring, I'll have much more to post, as I began this blog a little late in the year. Thank you for stopping by and your comments!

Amila Salgado said...

I thought you would have some dragonfly pictures and posts to last during the winter. What's up?

spookydragonfly said...

Hello Amila(you're on a first name basis now)... I wanted to get back to my painting, then my creative flow...just stopped. I wanted to keep my main blog going, and due to my connection, everything takes so long. Just to post is a pain, let alone visiting other blogs...waiting and waiting for my computer to load. Alright...enough excuses...I'm lazy! I'm sure I'll do a few more posts here sometime this winter. Sorry you asked, huh?!

roentare said...

Stunning macros you have done there

spookydragonfly said...

Hi James...They're good for my current camera capabilities. Add to that fact that I am technically challenged...I admit it!! Seriously! I'm hoping for a new camera since I became interested in photographing my damsels and dragons. I'll have to study my manual(over and over!). Thanks so much for stopping by and the very nice comment!... You are quite the photographer!

Anonymous said...

The red one's are not as common here as the blue one's, so the red meadowhawks are quite exotic to me. Happy to see the dragonfly's that you photographed in flight too.

spookydragonfly said...

Hello Bernie...I had many Meadowhawks this year, I enjoyed the fact that they were so easy to photograph...and most friendly! My Darners, like the one you captured in flight, I believe, for the majority of the season stayed high among the trees. I had difficulty trying to get a good shot. Rarely, did I see them land. I'm an amatuer at photography, which makes capturing a dragon in flight even tougher. Regardless, I am completely content when surrounded by them. Thank you for stopping by!

合田學 (上坂眞信)  said...

For one month, I went away from Internet environment.
It is a nice shot.
You should be able to encounter a lot of dragonflies next year.

spookydragonfly said...

Pseudothemis...Hello!! It's nice to hear from you. I should take some time away from this computer. I spend too much time here and not enough time in other areas of my day! After our holiday season, I must get back to my painting. I have a few canvases started that are crying out to be completed! Thanks for stopping back!

合田學 (上坂眞信)  said...

Good evening.
Dragonflies disappeared.
I update the photograph of the dragonfly which I took last year.


Dragonflies (Anisoptera) & Damselflies (Zygoptera) 2007

http://dragonfliesdamselflies2007.blogspot.com/

合田學 (上坂眞信)  said...

I heartily send all good Christmas wishes to you and your family.

spookydragonfly said...

Hello Pseudothemis...I made the visit to view your dragon...it was interesting. I like the rich amber color of the dragon. Just a few more (LONG!) months before I see mine again!

spookydragonfly said...

Pseudothemis...Thank you so much..and blessings to you and yours!

Q said...

I am a dragonfly and damselfly lover too!
Looking forward to seeing your Meadowhawks this spring and summer.
Looking forward to getting to know you and your woods.
Namaste,
Sherry

spookydragonfly said...

Hi Sherry...Thanks for dropping by and commenting. Glad that I found another dragonfly lover, hopefully next season I'll see some posted on your blog! I won't be posting much here until spring, but you're welcome to drop by my main blog, Wishnik Woods!

合田學 (上坂眞信)  said...

I looked at the photograph of the dragonfly again. The dragonfly of the your place resembles a Japanese dragonfly, but colors are delicately different. I like this natural variety.

spookydragonfly said...

Hello Pseudothemis...It seems many of our dragons are alike. I enjoyed the Meadowhawks, as they were very "friendly" with me...and such vivid red coloring. They did lose the richness of the red as the season progressed. The Meadowhawks showed up later in the season last year, I'm curious to see if they arrive any sooner this year. Not much longer...!