Category: Great Marsh Trail

Dragonflys of the Great Marsh Trail

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Dragonflys are amazing creatures, their aerial agility is second to none in the insect world. They are fun to watch and fun to photograph. Different species of Dragonfly have different behavior patterns. Some are almost constantly in flight, others perch on a leaf or the end of a twig. Photographing them close up can be difficult because they have almost 360 degree vision so they can easily see you coming and take off. I find that I get the best results when I stand still and just wait patiently when I know they are around. A telephoto lens with high magnification is almost a necessity if you want to get zoomed in enough to see any detail. It can be challenging, but the results are amazing when you do get a good one.

Here are a few of my favorite photographs of Dragonflys taken along the Great Marsh trail in the Indiana Dunes National Park. There a lot of different species and identification can be difficult, I do my best but make no promises as to accuracy.

There are several very similar species which are nearly all red in color. A really deep and vibrant red. My guess is that this is either a White-faced of Ruby Meadowhawk. The key difference is the color of the face which is more of a tan color for the Ruby. It is difficult to tell the difference in this photo. The photograph at the top of this post may also be the same species, but without being able to see the face it is not possible to be certain.
I believe that this is another White-faced or Ruby Meadowhawk. The brown and tan coloring of the thorax are indicative that it is a female.
Another likely female Meadowhawk. This photograph has one of the best views of the front of the face that I have been able to get. The fact that the dragonfly was perched slightly above me gave a relatively unique perspective. Normally I see them closer to the ground.
Here we have what is almost certainly a Twelve-spotted Skimmer. The Twelve-spotted designation refers to the number of black spots, three on each of four wings. The white spots in between show that this is a male of the species.
The lack of white spots on this Twelve-spotted Skimmer indicates that it is a female. Note the wide and flat character of the tail with respect to that of the Meadowhawks earlier in this post.
The yellow brownish body and eyes look like an Autumn Meadowhawk. It could be either a female or an immature male.
Another possible female or immature male Autumn Meadowhawk. If I have the species correct I would suspect this to be an immature male based on the shape of the end of the tail which is more scoop like in the females.
I have no idea what type of Dragonfly these wings once belonged to. But they go to show that in the insect world, even the apex predators can be caught and eaten by something else. Such is nature.

Even More Awesome Critters

Posted on by MC2 · Leave a comment

I am not really much of a birder, though pretty much everyone on the trail assumes that I am because I carry a full size camera with a big telephoto lens. While I will take the occasional bird shot, I much prefer the insects, arachnids, amphibians and reptiles to be found in and along the marshes of the Indiana Dunes.

As noted in another post, I think flies make great photographic subjects. They are quite fascinating when seen up close.
The Crane Fly is a member of the fly family. Although it may appear scarier than the more common variety of fly, it is completely harmless. They cannot even bite as they have no mouth parts. Crane flys only live for a few days in their adult form, and they do not need to eat during this time.
Not surprisingly, Butterflys are common in the wetlands areas. What is less common is to find three of them all hanging out together. In this case they appeared to be drinking at the muddy edge of the marsh. Two different species of Swallowtail.
At first glance Weevils look like Beetles. But get close enough and you can see the long snout dominating the face which is characteristic of Weevil’s.
Frogs, usually you hear them diving into the water as you approach, but you never see them. Occasionally one will sit nice and still long enough to get a good shot or two.
I thought this was an interesting combination when I noticed them. Look just behind the frog and you will see a nice size Wolf spider. The two of them were just hanging out like a couple of buddies, though I am pretty sure that frogs are happy to eat a nice meaty spider like this one. Not the first time I have seen predator and prey sitting right next to one another peacefully.
Another example of predator and prey coexisting, at least for the moment. I was observing the Daddy Longlegs when I saw the fly land right in front of it. I thought for sure I would have a chance to watch the arachnid attempt to snag a lunch on the fly, so to speak. But nope, they both sat there for a minute while I took some pics then the fly buzzed off.
I love how snapping turtles look like scary prehistoric creatures. This time of year you can often find turtles on the trails and in the fields as they search for spots to lay their eggs or just relocate to another body of water. This is one of the smaller ones I have seen in the park, the shell was probably about 12″ long.
Looks like it is time to go…