Pale Blue Eyes

Sometimes nature is cruel; it leads you on then leaves you. Other times it's constant, the love of your life. And, in reality, you have no choice but to enter into these relationships innocently and open-heartedly. Steadfastly alone, perhaps. And, even just once or twice in a life is enough, magnificently a part.

Last year, the occupation of a small storm water catchment pond by a number of Blue-eyed Darners for much of the summer, the nearest pond to our house, seemed too good to be true. To have such an uncommon dragonfly (uncommon for Minnesota at least) four blocks away was a boon; I stopped by ritually to watch them, each time expecting to find them gone. But they persisted until summer was over, well into autumn.

Most backyard swimming pools are larger than the shallow, silty basin of this catchment pond. And now, only three years after its construction, the dragonfly days are numbered as the open water succumbs to an invasion of cattails. My expectations don't rise above the forktails and whitetails that tolerate such compromised habitats. But as long as it holds water, I'll continue to stop by and have a look. And today, after I pushing through a fringe of slim cottonwoods and willows and parting the shoreline cattails, I found a small world a-whirl with Common Whitetails. And then, a great surprise, hovering, facing off my intrusion, a pair of pale blue eyes---the Blue-eyed Darners were back! Either they have found their way here from a nearby location where they are breeding or they are breeding here.

"Linger on your pale blue eyes."
- The Velvet Underground

I continued on my hike, bouyantly. In the woods a Pileated Woodpecker hatcheted away at a stump just off the trail. After it flew, I inspected the stump. All I could find were a few ants, though possibly the bird had found some larger food items like the larvae of beetles or wasps or flies. At the sand piles beside the baseball field, several wasps were present. Oxybelus, a tiny black wasp that hunts even tinier flies. And Hoplisoides, a sturdy black and yellow wasp that hunts treehoppers. The first I've seen of either species this year. And the first active sand wasp nest building of the year as well. I scouted the nearby playing fields for Philanthus, Cerceris, and Sphecius, but found none.

Publicado el junio 10, 2017 01:44 MAÑANA por scottking scottking

Observaciones

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Junio 9, 2017 a las 11:46 MAÑANA CDT

Descripción

Sand Wasp
with treehopper prey (Publilia concava?)
St Olaf Natural Lands
Northfield, Minnesota

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Junio 9, 2017 a las 01:27 TARDE CDT

Descripción

Sand Wasp
St Olaf Natural Lands
Northfield, Minnesota

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Carpintero de Cresta (Dryocopus pileatus)

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Junio 9, 2017 a las 11:28 MAÑANA CDT

Descripción

Pileated Woodpecker
St Olaf Natural Lands
Northfield, Minnesota

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Junio 9, 2017 a las 11:23 MAÑANA CDT

Descripción

Sawfly
St Olaf Natural Lands
Northfield, Minnesota

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Avispas Icneumónidas (Familia Ichneumonidae)

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Junio 9, 2017 a las 11:21 MAÑANA CDT

Descripción

Ichneumon Wasp
St Olaf Natural Lands
Northfield, Minnesota

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Zurcidora de Ojos Azules (Rhionaeschna multicolor)

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Junio 9, 2017 a las 11:07 MAÑANA CDT

Descripción

Blue-eyed Darner
St Olaf Natural Lands
Northfield, Minnesota

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Rayadora Blanca de Lydia (Plathemis lydia)

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Junio 9, 2017 a las 11:06 MAÑANA CDT

Descripción

Common Whitetail, male
St Olaf Natural Lands
Northfield, Minnesota

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