Great Start to 2012 Flight Season


On Monday, May 28, I did a thorough survey of the ponds at High Rock Park on Staten Island, in the heart of the 2,800 acre Greenbelt managed by NYC Parks.  These are primarily moist deciduous woodlands with scattered stands of conifers, with wetlands situated at varying heights up to several hundred feet above sea level. Although the Parks Dept. and Audubon websites indicate only 5 ponds within High Rock boundaries, there are many more in adjacent areas, and the hilly topography is such that, in very wet springs like this one, running streams, hillside seeps and vernal pools increase the variety of Ode habitat. The larger water bodies run the gamut from full, lily-covered swamps to marshes overrun with loosestrife to open water like Ohrbach Lake, with skunk cabbage and emergent vegetation limited to within a few yards of the shore. 


Here I found the following:

-Common Green Darner (Anax junius) – abundant, frequently diving onto the water
in the 88 degree heat
-Comet Darner (Anax longipes) – 2 males flying patrols in surprisingly close
proximity
-Spatterdock Darner (Rhionaeschna mutata) – 3 males
-Swamp Darner (Epiaeschna heros) – seen at all ponds, one female ovipositing on a
dead log right below the boardwalk where I stood
-Common Baskettail (E.cynosura) – 12, most defending small territories of a few
square meters
-Painted Skimmer (Libellula semifasciata) – 21 seen, 1 pair in tandem, female
then ovipositing
-Spangled Skimmer (Libellula cyanea) – 1 male perched
-Bar-winged Skimmer (Libellula axilena) – 8 male and 2 female, 1 pair in tandem
followed by the female ovipositing with male hover guarding and aggressively
defending against another male
-Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans) – 29, mostly defending from perches or
making brief sorties, but at least 2 females seen ovipositing with males hover
guarding
-Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) – at least 200 seen; this number will
easily quadruple in the next month
-Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata) – oddly, only 2 seen
-Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina) – 4, including a pair in tandem for an
extended period of time relentlessly pursued by another male
-Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa) – 1 male perched, occasionally driving away
interlopers as large as Anax junius

Zygoptera were represented by Fragile Forktails (Ischnura posita), Eastern
Forktails (Ischnura verticalis) and Orange Bluets (Enallagma signatum), many
either in wheel or ovipositing.

The season is definitely off to a good start! Good hunting all.

David W. Eib
SI Dragonfly Atlas