Beaver Pond Clubtail
Not only were we able to catch birds during the Great Outdoors Program but we were also able to catch 3 different species of dragonflies. I felt bad that the insect station was able to catch 1 Common Baskettail with all those kids running around with butterfly nets . . . I was innocently catching a few of each species without trying.
Common Baskettail
With each dragonfly capture . . . . we would slowly extracted the dragonflies from the net and then released the insect from a brave child’s thumb. Besides catching dragonflies . . . the bumblebees we caught didn’t come out of the net as safely as the dragonflies did! But it was still great giving the children a chance to see all of our bugs up close.
Blue Dasher
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24 Comments
7 June 2008 at 8:16 pm
These are sooo cool, Tom!
7 June 2008 at 9:03 pm
OOOooooooo I like dragonflies. I don’t think I have seen these before. I wish I was a little kid that came to your class. I could learn so much.
8 June 2008 at 12:56 am
They’re lovely, of course. What a great opportunity for the kids. Down here the dragonflies are prolific & colored like rare jewels. I love them.
8 June 2008 at 1:40 am
These are really beautiful little creatures Tom, another subject I would love to photograph if I was a little more patient !!
8 June 2008 at 1:41 am
Wow, those dragonflies are beautiful! The structure on their wings are so intricate! I just love the color of the blue eyes on the Blue Dasher. I’m going to have to pay more attention to dragonflies.
8 June 2008 at 7:33 am
Great shots of these; they sure are beautiful! Maybe I should invest in a few mist nets
My regular one seems to have a big hole in it!
8 June 2008 at 9:21 am
I love dragonflies! They are so majestic and the Halloween penants love to pose for long periods of time for me.
8 June 2008 at 1:51 pm
What great photos – I never thought about catching dragonflies along with birds in the nets. Tres cool!
8 June 2008 at 2:27 pm
Wow, up close and personal! So cool to see their unique features.
8 June 2008 at 7:41 pm
@ Pam – thanks
@ Lisa – dragonflies are fun and would love to have you join me at any age!
@ Lana – thanks and I love the dragonflies colors also!
@ Bernie – Thanks and they can be fun to photograph in flight! You do need patience though.
@ Linda – Thanks and it is amazing seeing these guys up close! They do have some amazing colors!
@ Jeremy – My nets do have the same holes! Thursday I didn’t see to be catching any dragonflies but Friday was my big day . . . maybe because of the hot weather.
@ Misti – Dragonflies are amazing and shouldn’t be too long before our Halloween Panants are out.
@ Wren – Thanks and never thought about that also! Just was one of those days.
@ Jayne – Thanks and those features are amazing up close!
8 June 2008 at 8:43 pm
I caught my first blue dasher of the season yesterday, too!
9 June 2008 at 11:32 am
Wow–I was just reading about the fascinating structure of the dragonfly. I am also glad to know the name of the Blue Dasher—what a great name!
9 June 2008 at 1:13 pm
So, how hard is it to get these out of the net without hurting them? What do you do?
9 June 2008 at 5:09 pm
Those kids had the time of their lives – all those bugs and bird…gee…I wish I was kid at your camp!
9 June 2008 at 8:27 pm
@ Jen – I saw another one flying today.
@ Joan – They are great bugs!
@ Marty – these guys can be easy to take out but some of the bees and beetles can be tough!
@ Bird Girl – you are always welcome to come visit!
10 June 2008 at 1:34 am
What, you don’t band them?
10 June 2008 at 11:46 am
Amazing images! I’ve been paying more attention to the insects in our yard the past couple of years. I’m slowly learning how to identify the dragonflies, damselflies, and butterflies – lots of great things out there. Thanks for the variety of posts, you’re always inspiring me to look for new things!
-Mike
11 June 2008 at 11:44 am
hi Tom, I am photographing dragonfly, damselfly and chasers here in England. Have posted several on my blog (link above), but I don’t have a really good macro lens so I can’t get as close and as sharp as you do. But great fun trying to photograph them.
11 June 2008 at 4:44 pm
Oh heck we never get dragonflies-bumblebees yes-dragonflies no!
11 June 2008 at 10:19 pm
@ Adam – lol . . . nope!
@ noflickster – Thanks for your kind words and glad you are looking at many of our bugs!
@ Chris – How great and they are tough capturing a picture of them!
@ Marg – those bumblebees are little pissers!
11 June 2008 at 11:23 pm
Friday must have been THE day for emerging aquatic insects. I was catching adult Mayflies at the Creek Creatures station. (You guys were loud!)
20 July 2008 at 1:53 am
Lovely post, great blog. We recently encountered a gorgeous dragonfly, which we have tentatively identified as a beaver pond clubtail. Can you confirm and perhaps give us more information about this guy (or gal, as the case may be), particularly wingspan? Many thanks.
Post can be seen here:
http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2008/07/hi_all_guess_it_was.html
22 September 2008 at 4:56 am
Enjoyed your photos – I love the damsels and dragons…photopgraph many around our pond. Go ahead and laugh, but I would never catch one,(wouldn’t want to hurt them in any way). I find it amazing to “bond” with my dragons…especially when they follow me and allow me to touch them. My Blue Dashers and Meadowhawks are very approachable.
1 June 2009 at 8:02 pm
i love dragonflies so much!!! everybody at school calls me dragonflie