A touch of frost

June 23, 2019  •  Leave a Comment

I went to Ell Pond this morning in search of early wild rhododendron blooms, but what I found was an extended display of Mountain Laurel blossoms, very few rhodie flower buds, and, along the exceedingly wet edges of the pond, a number of these dragonflies. They were quite happy to have me around, and they spent their time perching close to my camera. I got what appeared to be fine shots... and definitely great looks at what I realized was a species I'd never seen before. From the face, I knew that they were a kind of Whiteface, but precisely which Leucorrhinia would have to wait until I got home. I hoped I wouldn't need actual specimens, so I took photos from every possible angle, got quite soaked, and kept my taxonomic fingers crossed. When I got home to the field guides, I was able to, with a high degree of confidence, match the shots to the description of the Frosted Whiteface, the aptly names L. frigida. Beautiful ode in beautiful circumstances.


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