On Sunday I visited Fluvanna County, Virginia.  Temperatures started out pleasantly cool but warmed as the morning proceeded.    Along the James, Hardware and Rivanna Rivers many species were emerging with dancers and Black-shouldered Spinylegs demonstrating their presence.  Species observed were:

Common Green Darner                   1
Springtime Darner                            1
Black-shouldered Spinyleg              6
Blackwater Clubtail                           2
Splendid Clubtail                               6
Cobra Clubtail                                    75
Dragonhunter                                    6
Cinnamon Shadowdragon               1
Stream Cruiser                                   1
Spangled Skimmer                            2
Common Whitetail                           10
Blue Dasher                                       1
American Rubyspot                          3
Appalachian Jewelwing                    2
Powdered Dancer                            many
Blue-fronted Dancer                       many
Stream Bluet                                     10

I also stumbled across a Turkey hen which flushed leaving behind a single chick which tried to hide beneath some corn stubble.

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On Saturday, May 23rd I visited Highland County, Virginia.  The weather was very cooperative but the odes were only marginally cooperative.  Species observed were as follows:

Common Green Darner                      1
Springtime Darner                               2
Lancet Clubtail                                      5
Ashy Clubtail                                         2
Beaverpond Baskettail                        4
Baskettail sp.                                         1
Uhler’s Sundragon                               3
Blue Corporal                                        1
Common Whitetail                               8
Aurora Bluet                                          4
Eastern Forktail                                    6

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On Saturday, May 16th I began the day in Fluvanna County, Virginia.  Along the James River I found a large presence of Cobra Clubtail (Gomphus vastas), a minimum of 650+.  Also observed were the following:

Springtime Darner                     1
Spine-crowned Clubtail             1
Splendid Clubtail                        10
Cobra Clubtail                             650+
Green-faced Clubtail                  1
Stream Cruiser                            1
Swift River Cruiser                      3
Blue Dasher                                 1
Common Whitetail                     7
Appalachian Jewelwing              6
Blue-fronted Dancer                  1

When you have this much biomass of clubtails which I like to think are apex insect predators you and they soon learn that other insects can still get the better of them such as this encounter of a Cobra Clubtail with a Bald-faced Hornet:

I then went to the Rivanna River in Fluvanna County and observed the following:

Springtime Darner                    2
Splendid Clubtail                       1
Stream Cruiser                          1
Common Whitetail                   6
Appalachian Jewelwing            8
Ebony Jewelwing                       1

Some photograph can be seen as follows:

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I started at day break in Goochland County, Virginia on Tuesday, May 5th at a small marsh.  I was unsuccessful with any rails and/or marsh wrens on this trip.  I then traveled to Fluvanna County to look for odonates.  I observed the following:

Applachian Jewelwing                    1
Stream Cruiser                                5
Springtime Darner                         8
Spine-crowned Clubtail               14
Green-faced Clubtail                     6
St. Croix Snaketail                          1
Blue Dasher                                    1

 

 

On May 3rd, Sunday, I started the day in Goochland County, Virginia at a marsh which I have had Black Rails at for the last several years.  Today I was disappointed as no rail of any species responded to tape play.  In walking the marsh I did have the good fortune of flushing one (1) Virginia Rail.  Also for the first time in Goochland County I had both Sedge and Marsh Wren present singing and I worked to get a good view of the Sedge Wren.  I then traveled over to Fluvanna County and had the following odonates:

Common Green Darner              1
Spring-time Darner                      1
Lancet Clubtail                              1
Spine-crowned Clubtail             24 (19 female, 5 male)
Twin-spotted Spiketail                 2
Stream Cruiser                             1
Common Baskettail                   12
Sely’s Sundragon                         7
Common Whitetail                     26

Butterflies observed were:

Zebra Swallowtail                        6
Spicebush Swallowtail                2
Red-spotted Purple                    1
Eastern-tailed Blue                     9
Pearl Crescent                             8
American Lady                            1
Red Admiral                                1
Cabbage White                           2
Northern Cloudywing               2
Juvenal Duskywing                     2
Silver-spotted Skipper               4
Zabulon Skipper                         1

 

I visited the Staunton River Battlefield State Park on Saturday, May 2.  I walked the river front on both the Charlotte County and Halifax sides of the river looking for odes, butterflies and birds.  Only breeding birds were noted with no migrant other than Yellow-rumped Warblers.

The odonates observed follow:

Fragile Forktail                6
Common Green Darner 1
Common Baskettail      18
Stream Cruiser                1
Lancet Clubtail                1
Cocoa Clubtail                 3
Blue Corporal                  2
Common Whitetail         6
Eastern Pondhawk         1

The Cocoa Clubtails (Gomphus hybridus) still need to be vetted but are apparently the most northern and western observed individuals to date.  They add to the recently discovered location in Sussex County from 2013 .  Both male and female general individuals were observed and photographed.

I checked a clearing on the Halifax County, Virginia side of the park adjacent to the river on my return and turned up the following odes:

Springtime Darner        1
Cocoa Clubtail                1
Common Whitetail        2
Painted Skimmer           1

Butterflies observed were:

Zebra Swallowtail            5
Silvery Checkerspot        1
Pearl Crescent               40+
Eastern-tailed Blue       15+
Carolina Satyr                  1
Silver-spotted Skipper  10+
Zabulon Skipper              1