Ischnura prognata

Weather: 78F - warm although a little windy
March 3, 2023 - Saw three Ischnura prognata (Furtive Forktails) for the first time this season. Surprisingly, one was flitting around a drainage ditch that is in the woods by our house. There is still a little water in the ditch so I had already seen several Ischnura posita in that area.

In the swamp, I saw two more as well as over 50 I. posita.

March 4, 2023 - Saw an immature female Ischnura hastata (Citrine Forktail) in the sunny marsh (cutover) by the third stream. In the woods of the swamp, I also saw an immature Ischnura prognata and it was a good opportunity to see just how large it was in comparison to Ischnura posita because for some reason, a male I. posita was darting at the I. prognata. She chased it off twice before the I. posita finally got the message and flitted away.

All of the Ischnura species I observed were tapping on curved blades of grass or sedges. Several dislodged mosquitoes that way and consumed them. (I need to figure out a way to video this hunting technique with hopefully a successful conclusion.)

Further in the wooded swamp along the second stream, a male Ischnura prognata had gotten entangled in a spider's web. It thrashed around and finally got free although a small bit of web was clinging to its wing. It perched nearby and thrashed some more to dislodge the webbing and then flitted away (hopefully to live a long and productive life).

There must have been over 100 (I counted 100+) I. posita everywhere both in the sunny wet areas and along all of the streams in the swamp. Many females had gray pruinose coloring to the point where it obscured or almost obscured the paler blue ! line on their thoraxes. They were ovipositing like crazy where there was submerged or partially submerged vegetation in the puddles and streams.

I've seen a few dragonflies but they were all just dark silhouettes and didn't land where I could see them. Since I saw them along dirt roads in the woods, I believe they may be Common Green Darners, Anax junius like the one I saw in February in Carteret County. They tend to be out early in the year and can be found along dirt roads so it seems likely, although not confirmed.

Publicado el 05 de marzo de 2023 por amypadgett