[tn-dragonflies] Blount County possible 100
- From: Rconnorsphoto@xxxxxxx
- To: tn-dragonflies@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 8 Feb 2014 14:15:15 -0500 (EST)
TN Dragonfliers,
The season is still a long way off but here's something to think about in
the meanwhile.
Blount County is still the leading TN county for number of Odonate species
listed at Odonata Central - 86. With effort this could be our first county
to reach the 100 mark.
For butterflies the century mark was passed several years ago in Polk
County (currently at 114!), and now Hamilton has 104 species listed at BAMONA.
I
believe the state total for butterflies is at 140.
There are now 157 species of odes listed for TN at OC, so you would think
100 is not an unreasonable number of dragonflies, damselflies, for one
county to attain.
Blount County has one obvious humdinger of a habitat area – GSMNP! Much
scientific work has been done in the Smokies, not the least of which was
ATBI, the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventor project run by Discover Life In
America (DLIA) over the past 10-plus years. But there is habitat other than
the
Smokies in the county, along embayments of the Tennessee River for
example, so there is room for more additions.
Considering Blount Co.’s 86 and those not-yet-seen, I have come up with a
list of 14-plus odes which could possibly be found in the county:
Spotted Spreadwing, Lestes congener
Amber-winged Spreadwing, Lestes eurinus
Aurora Damsel, Chromagrion conditum
Vesper Bluet, Enallagma vesperum
Southern Sprite, Nehalennia integricollis
Unicorn Clubtail, Arigomphus villosipes
Appalachian Snaketail, Ophiogomphus incurvatus
Maine Snaketail, O. maiensis
Zebra Clubtail, Stylurus scudderi
Arrowhead Spiketail, Cordulegaster obliqua
Stream Cruiser, Didymops transversa
Royal River Cruiser, Macromia taeniolata
Uhler’s Sundragon, Helocordulia uhleri
Ski-tipped Emerald, Somatochlora elongata
Band-winged Medowhawk, Sympetrum semicinctum
Spotted Spreadwing is a late species, often very late fall, found in
marshy edges and small wetlands; at any elevation, more likely higher.
Amber-winged Spreadwing is a higher elevation species, found in typical
spreadwing
marshy-weedy habitat.
Aurora Damsel is a pond species found early in the season, in east TN that
would be late April through June. Vesper Bluet, as the name implies,
comes out later in the day, into the evening and past dark; likely to be found
at lower elevations at water’s edge, ponds or lake. Southern Sprite, and
possibly other sprites, are harder to find and harder to predict where found,
but possible at vegetated seeps and pond edges .
Unicorn Clubtail is a pond or slow stream species, often found at places
like golf course ponds, so it should be a good possibility for the county; a
few other clubtails are possibilities but hard to predict. Zebra Clubtail
is a possibility on lower elev. mountain streams, late in the season.
Appalachian Snaketail and Maine Snaketail are also possible on mountain area
streams, early in the season, in May, etc. Arrowhead Spiketail could be found
at muddy seeps & tiny streams, wherever that habitat is found.
Stream Cruiser is one of the earliest dragonflies, out in April through
May, in any habitat near water. Royal River Cruiser should be found
mid-season, patrolling along the Tennessee River, Ft. Loudon Lake. Uhler’s
Sundragon is another early season species, on or near small streams, often
with
Stream Cruiser and Com. Baskettail, and looks a little like a baskettail.
Ski-tipped Emerald is a mid-to-late season species found only at higher
elevation ponds or slow streams. Band-winged Meadowhawk would be possible in
more
open wet habitat, more likely at slightly higher elevations.
Of course there could be others, even new state records not yet listed. I’
m not proposing a foray as such, just a heads-up for anyone out ode chasing
in the area to maybe target a species or two, make a point to visit the
area once or twice this year. And our one county resident member, T.H. ,
might let us know if he has any luck with these.
Good Dragonfly dreaming!
Richard Connors
Nashville
Other related posts:
- » [tn-dragonflies] Blount County possible 100 - Rconnorsphoto
