Terry & Diana's
Photography and More

Dragonfly Society of Americas Meeting

Wisconsin June 2014

June 9 - Troy and I traveled to Wisconsin this year to meet up with other people interested in dragonflies and damselflies. We stopped at several locations on the way to see what we could see. Very few scencery photos were taken, mostly plants and animals. Our first major stop was in Kansas: Cowley County at Cowley State Fishing Lake. We photographed whatever we could find and then spent the night.

Kansas: Cowley County, Cowley State Fishing Lake

Six-lined Racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineatus)

Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma)

Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)

Crossline Skipper (Polites origenes)

Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta)

Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina)

Orange Bluet (Enallagma signatum)

Pronghorn Clubtail (Gomphus graslinellus)

Sulphur-tipped Clubtail (Gomphus militaris)

Orange Shallowdragon (Neurocordulia xanthosoma)

Eastern Gamagrass

June 10 - Misty, rainy morning. We packed our wet tent and headed for Iowa. Stopped at several sites along the way.

Iowa: Madison County, Criss Cove County Park

 

Eight-spotted Forester (Alypia octomaculata)

Painted Turtle laying eggs (Chrysemys picta)

Periodic Cicada

Bronze Copper (Lycaena hyllus)

Little Wood Satyr (Magisto cymela)

Common Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura)

Skimming Bluet (Enallagma geminatum)

Orange Bluet (Enallagma signatum)

Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella)

Madison County is all I am going to say.

Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)

Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum)

Common Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis)

June 11- We spent the night at Pammell State Park. After Troy's morning run and my morning walk, we headed out again. Stopped once again at a few sites on our way up to Wisconsin.

Madison County covered bridge and an example of the country side.

 

Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum)

Iowa: Butler County, Shell Rock River at Shell Rock Park

American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)

Horned Clubtail (Arigomphus cornutus)

Midland Clubtail (Gomphus fraternus) feeding on Plains Clubtail

Midland Clubtail (Gomphus fraternus)

Finally got to Wisconsin. One of the first creatures we found was three of these turtles.

Wisconsin: Monroe and Wood Counties

Blanding's Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii)

June 12 - We spent the night at a hunter's camp across from the wildlife refuge that we were going to search today. We spent the day searching Sandhill Wildlife Refuge in Wood County for Boghaunters.

Wisconsin: Wood County, Sandhill Wildlife Refuge

Open marshy area habitat we were looking for.

We searched mostly along the roadways through the refuge.

Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) digging egg nest

Gray Treefrog (Hyla species)

Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans)

Smooth Green Snake (Opheodrys vernalis) eating a cricket

Canadian Red Columbine

Harris's Checkerspot (Chlosyne harrisii)

Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

Racket-tailed Emerald (Dorocordulia libera)

Racket-tailed Emerald (Dorocordulia libera)

Hagan's Bluet (Enallagma hagani)

Midland Clubtail (Gomphus fraternus)

Frosted Whiteface (Leucorrhinia frigida)

Four-spotted Skimmer (Libellula quadrimaculata)

Sedge Sprite (Nehalennia irene)

Ebony Boghaunter (Williamsonia fletcheri) What we came here for!!

 

June 13 - Stayed in Americ Inn in Ladysmith, very expensive. DSA pre-info meeting for Field trips. Finally broke for field trips around 9:30 am. Troy and I and several others spent most of the day at the Chippewa River looking for clubtails. We found most of what we were looking for.

Chippewa River in Rusk County

Arctic Skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon)

Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis)

Redbelly Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata)

Robberfly

Springtime Darner (Basiaschna janata)

River Jewelwing (Calopteryx aequabilis)

American Emerald (Cordulia shurtleffii)

Racket-tailed Emerald (Dorocordulia libera)

Stream Cruiser (Didymops transversa)

Beaverpond Baskettail (Epitheca canis)

Spiny Baskettail (Epitheca spinigera)

Mustached Clubtail (Gomphus adelphus)

Splendid Clubtail (Gomphus lineatifrons)

Ashy Clubtail (Gomphus lividus)

Rapids Clubtail (Gomphus quadricolor)

Cobra Clubtail (Gomphus vastus)

Skillet Clubtail (Gomphus ventricosus)

Emerald Spreadwing (Lestes dryas)

Swift River Cruiser (Macromia illinoiensis)

Extra-striped Snaketail (Ophiogomphus anomalus)

Pygmy Snaketail (Ophiogomphus howei)

Rusty Snaketail (Ophiogomphus rupinsulensis)

St. Croix Snaketail (Ophiogomphus susbehcha)

Next stop was along Rustic Road on the way to Perch and Audie Lake.

Canadian Geese

Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

Horned Clubtail (Arigomphus cornutus)

Twin-spotted Spiketail (Cordulegaster maculata) female

Beaverpond Baskettail (Epitheca canis)

Common Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura)

Chalk-fronted Corporal (Ladona julia)

Dusky Clubtail (Gomphus spicatus)

Riffle Snaketail (Ophiogomphus carolus)

June 14 - After spending some time with other members of the DSA for information, we got a motel north of Ladysmith for the night. We woke with rain and decided to head southeast to see if we could find some sunshine. We finally did and had some luck with odes and herps. Our first stop was the Eau Claire River in Eau County, but it was still cloudy and cool so we traveled farther south.

Hall's Creek area in Merrillan, Jackson County

Fox Snake (Pantherophis vulpinus)

Wood Turtle (Glyptemys inscupta)

Four-spotted Skimmer (Libellula quadrimaculata)

Springtime Darner (Basiaeschna janata)

Sioux Snaketail (Ophiogomphus smithi)

Next area was a sphagnum bog called Bohn Lake Natural Area, Washaura County

Sandhill Cranes in bog habitat

Blue-spotted Salamander (Ambystoma laterale)

Common Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis)

Chalk-fronted Corporal basking on exposed rocks around the bog.

Chalk-fronted Corporal (Ladona julia)

Dot-tailed Whiteface (Leucorrhinia intacta)

Lilypad Clubtail (Arigomphus furcifer)

Northern Bluet (Enallagma annexum)

Purplish Copper (Lycaena helloides)

The last area we searched before leaving Wisconsin was Bass Lake Natural Area. We were told this was the best spot to find Elfin Skimmers.

Rainbow Bluet (Enallagma antennatum)

Swamp Spreadwing (Lestes vigilax)

Female and Male Elfin Skimmers (Nannothemis bella). The females are wasp mimics.

Sphagnum Sprite (Nehalennia gracilis)

June 15 - Headed south toward Missouri. Stopped for the night in small motel near Illinois border still in Wisconsin. Up early. Headed for Sutton's Bluff Recreation Area near Rolla. One stop on the way.

Missouri: Crawford County, a roadside pond east of jct o MO 8 on Forest Road 205. Someone at the DSA meeting told us about this site. Said it was good for Spatterdock Darner.

Spatterdock Darner (Rhionaeschna mutata)

Azure Bluet (Enallagma aspersum)

Spangled Skimmer (Libellula cyanea)

Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta)

Amber-winged Spreadwing (Lestes eurinus)

June 16 - Camped at Sutton's Bluff Camp ground. A great place to stay. We first traveled down to Grasshopper Hollow to check out Hine's Emerald. We had missed twice before. This time we were there at the best or prime time. Found them. After searching the area and getting what we went after we headed back to Sutton's Bluff to check out snaketails and take down tent. We then headed south.

Missouri: Reynolds County, Grasshopper Hollow

Variable Dancer (Argia fumipennis)

Springwater Dancer (Argia plana)

Aurora Damsel (Chromagrion conditum)

Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa)

Banded Pennant (Celithemis fasciata)

Arrowhead Spiketail (Cordulegaster obliqua)

Turquoise Bluet (Enallagma divagans)

Slender Bluet (Enallagma traviatum)

Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylus)

Lancet Clubtail (Gomphus exilis)

Yellow-sided Skimmer (Libellula flavida)

Slender Spreadwing (Lestes retangularis)

Hine's Emerald (Somatochlora hineana) The only endangered dragonfly in North America.

Gray Petaltail (Tachopteryx thoreyi)

Missouri: Reynolds County, Sutton's Bluff Recreation Area, West Fork of Black River.

Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylus)

Westfall's Snaketail (Ophiogomphus westfalli)

Interior Least Clubtail (Stylogomphus sigmastylus)

June 17 - Spent the night at Winding Stair Camp Ground. No herps on the road. Woke up to high winds and cloudy, drizzly conditions. No dragonflies flying. We headed down to Mountain Fork River at Forest Road 28000 off of US 259.

Oklahoma: McCurtain County, Mountain Fork River

Virginia Bunchflower (Veratrum virginicum)

Creole Pearly Eye (Enodia creola)

Confused Eusarca Moth (Eusarca confusaria)

Neighbor Moth (Haploa contigua)

Ozark Clubtail (Gomphus ozarkensis)

Gilded River Cruiser (Macromia pacifica)

Mocha Emerald (Somatochlora linearis)

From here we headed for home with only a couple of stops in Texas along the way.