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Shadow Darner, female ovipositing

Aeshna umbrosa

Description:

Dark darner dragonfly with narrow, straight lateral thoracic stripes, some with posterior 'flags' at upper end; frontal stripes usually narrow but present. Abdominal spots small. Pale spots under abdomen. Brown, greenish, blue. Female is polymorphic.

Habitat:

Lakes, ponds, marshes and slow streams. More common on streams than other mosaic darners.

Notes:

This female was ovipositing on a mossy rock on my koi pond waterfall. The eggs overwintered.

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7 Comments

gatorfellows
gatorfellows 11 years ago

You are welcome. I love learning new facts about dragonflies.

DianePlatcoBrooks
DianePlatcoBrooks 11 years ago

Thank you gatorfellows, that was a really informative page on the Shadow darner. I thought the exact thing Fyn Kynd, when I saw her ovipositing that late. But I researched it and found that it's normal.

gatorfellows
gatorfellows 11 years ago

"When the eggs are deposited at the end of the season in a cold climate, they enter diapause to survive the winter until they can hatch the following spring. Otherwise, the eggs generally hatch between 5 days and 2 months after oviposition, depending on the water temperature." More at: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/ac...

Fyn  Kynd
Fyn Kynd 11 years ago

Isn't that a little late for A. umbrosa to be ovipositing?

DianePlatcoBrooks
DianePlatcoBrooks 11 years ago

Thank you Gerardo.

Gerardo Aizpuru
Gerardo Aizpuru 11 years ago

Wow wonderful series :)

DinDjarin
DinDjarin 11 years ago

WOW-----

DianePlatcoBrooks
Spotted by
DianePlatcoBrooks

Corning, Ohio, USA

Spotted on Nov 3, 2011
Submitted on Dec 7, 2012

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