Submitted dragonfly for Guinness book of world records...

I had lots of fun heading down to the hill country for the Master Naturalist conference -- especially exploring a few new areas for me. One of these neat places was Cooper Nature Park in Lampasas. I had an encounter that will live in infamy... :)

So, I have officially submitted a dragonfly to the Guinness book of world records as THE HARDEST DRAGONFLY EVER TO CATCH. My word, this sucker took me a loooooong time to catch. First of all, it never stood still to roost/rest. Secondly, it seemed to zig-zag more than any other dragonfly I've ever seen before... It was crazy. I don't know if this one was just hyper or ate some sugar fed fruit flied or something, but it was crazy hard. Also, I think it must have planted some traps for my net in the way of cockleburs... I would swipe with my net and then it would get loaded up with the spiny fruits of Xanthium strumarium... I was almost sore from swiping so many times to catch it. I thought it was a 'darner' at first simply because I said "darn!" so many time (among other words/phrases)... Finally, out of sheer luck, I was able to accidentally catch it -- I think it was a sympathy catch -- it saw how hard I was struggling to get it. And yes, I did release it, and it went back to zig-zagging along the stream. :)

Thanks much to @greglasley for the ID of this dragonfly -- pale-faced clubskimmer. It's a new one for me, but one that I shall always remember. I think it currently holds the title for the hardest dragonfly to catch. Or at least, the hardest dragonfly that Sam has ever caught. ;)

What do you think? @greglasley @jimjohnson @scottking @ericisley @dianaterryhibbitts @mchlfx -- do you know of any contenders for this title of hardest dragonfly to catch?!? :)

Posted on 01 de novembro de 2015, 03:01 PM by sambiology sambiology

Observações

Fotos / Sons

What

Carrapicho-Bravo (Xanthium strumarium)

Observador

sambiology

Data

Outubro 22, 2015

Descrição

Headed down to the Master Naturalist State conference a day early to make a few iNatting spots along the way. :) I'm an addict, of course!

I stopped at this nature park in Lampasas too -- it really is quite nice!

Fotos / Sons

Observador

sambiology

Data

Outubro 22, 2015

Descrição

Headed down to the Master Naturalist State conference a day early to make a few iNatting spots along the way. :) I'm an addict, of course!

I stopped at this nature park in Lampasas too -- it really is quite nice!

Need some help with this dragonfly... Not sure which one it is...

Comentários

That's a really cool one Sam. We saw two of these at LLELA late summer this year.

I've never caught a dragonfly but really need to try that out. Sounds like big fun!

Publicado por mchlfx mais de 8 anos antes

Sam, my nemesis, when it comes to netting, is the Fawn Darner (Boyeria vinosa). E. B. Williamson, legendary odonatologist, described the difficulty involved in catching this species very well: "...its tendency to examine critically every object projecting above the water often makes its capture an embarrassing matter to the collector. More than once as I waited for an approaching male that insect suddenly left the line of flight I had mapped out for it, flew to within an inch of my legs, circled around one leg a time or two, then the other, then about both, and then quietly resumed its flight along the stream, oblivious to the net which had been frantically fanned all around it." (Williamson, E.B. 1907. A collecting trip north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Ohio Nat. 7: 129-148.)

In a strange incident of synchronicity, I received this morning a haiku about a Fawn Darner from Ken Tennessen and wrote my own in response, which I share here as well:

The elusive dragonfly
glides past your ankles easy as the river—
forget the net, use your pen!

Publicado por scottking mais de 8 anos antes

But the thrill of the chase is what makes it so rewarding in the end. Not to mention the knowledge that not only did you find/capture your species but that you were able to snap a photo of it. Ahh the thrill of the hunt!

Publicado por wildflowerenthusi... mais de 8 anos antes

Hilarious!

Publicado por connlindajo mais de 8 anos antes

There are several species which can be humbling to try to catch, but yeah, clubskimmers can be a challenge sometimes. Evening Skimmer is a south Texas critter which sometimes gets up to central Texas. When they are hung up they are easy, but sometimes they stay on the wing a good bit and it like they have taken LSD.....zip, zap every which way with no predictable pattern. Hard to even follow them with your eye.

Publicado por greglasley mais de 8 anos antes

Haha -- thanks for the input, all! I look forward to chasing after the fawn darner and the evening skimmer someday. :)

Publicado por sambiology mais de 8 anos antes

I think all dragonflies feel safe when I have a net in my hands. I wish I had a video of Troy (my son) trying to catch Stygian Shadowdragons on the Duck River in Tennessee. It was hilarious. They seemed to stay just out of reach of his nets until we observed them flying in mass just above his head. I rolled several times on a road in Arkansas trying to catch Mocha Emeralds. Troy didn't have any problems with them but I did. Also I think that the high flying emeralds (Texas, Tree Top, Ozark) are very difficult to net. With lots of patience, one may finally come down within range of the nets. I know that there are areas where one species may be easier than in other areas. River Cruisers come to mine. I have had a difficult time trying to net them. The other day while at a bioblitz I tried netting a Common Green Darner (the first time trying to net this common species) for documentation to no avail. They were much more difficult than I thought they would be.

Publicado por dianaterryhibbitts mais de 8 anos antes

Cool! At that same bioblitz where Terry tried to catch a Common Green Darner, I was lucky to see a Pale-faced Clubskimmer perch and got my first-ever photo of one. (http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2097480)

I've never even tried to catch a dragonfly. Sam, did you start catching dragonflies when you first got interested in them? I've always used photography to learn IDs, but that approach has its limitations with the "flier" species.

Publicado por mikaelb mais de 8 anos antes

I love these stories of the "hardest to catch dragonflies."

I have only used a auto focus/point and shoot camera, so getting a flight shot of a dragonfly is slightly impossible... So, I've been using the net for many of my dragonfly shots since the beginning of my interest. As to how I've learned them -- it's all been Greg ID'ing them and then slowly but surely, I've become familiar with a few. :)

Publicado por sambiology mais de 8 anos antes

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