Plume de Ville

Libellules.

July 6th

                                 

In a rustle of wings, in flight, the mating of black-lined skimmers, which gently landed a short instant, just enough time for a photo.

I love the elegance of the laying of the black-lined skimmer.
This beautiful female with her male was in the midst of laying. Large curves over water and in the descent, light touch of water and up in the same movement, continues its fly smoothly and new descent. All smoothly. Monsieur keeps watch.

The Emperor is aging. It continues to patrol but stops more often for a few moments of rest. The wings must have been in battles.
































Madam still lays. Here it is an amazing way of laying. Two passages on one side and then reverse and she puts its abdomen on the other side. Two movements of the other side and on again. This is a sequence of 30 seconds, but spawning lasted much longer.

Another lying of the broad-bodied chaser. When it chooses a place, it puts its abdomen vertically and "punctures" again and again in the same place.



















Always very difficult to catch in a photo.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

July 10th

The small red-eyed damselflies [Erythromma viridulum] stay together. Laying in a group but far enough from the bank. If the male has the choice, it seems to alight on vegetation rather than to sustain the female.

(Ph. 240609)                                                                                                                            (Ph. 070709)

Males rest on on floating vegetation.
End of June many couples were laying. On July 7, only males where alight.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

July 14th

Scarce chaser. [Libellula fulva]
The couple alighted immediately on the bank. They stayed at the same location, changing only once for another strand of grass, disturbed by another male.

The female lays alone. Three quarters of an hour later I had to quit, leaving them at the same place and I didn't saw the laying.

Females lose their orange colour as they age. On this one, we still distinguish some orange colour.

You must cling! A gust of wind and there they are, wrapped in their wings. It was very windy that day and they were well shook.















(ph. 230609)

La scarce chaser does not tolerate any other "blue" in its territory but dame black-tailed skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) has the right to share its patch of grass.

A look of not yet ripe apple for the head of this ruddy darter [Sympetrum sanguineum].

The bottom of the eyes of this young male is still green. Later its face will become bright red.

ph. 290609






Nice sympetrum, always so likable and ready to pose so kindly.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

July 16th

The brown hawker [Aeshna grandis].

His wings are golden, smoked amber coloured.
This is a great and beautiful 7cm dragonfly all honey. Beautiful spectacle to see her fly

It flies in graceful curves and gliding.

Unfortunately I have not seen the male or mating. No male around during spawning.

It laid close enough to the bank, changing the place of spawning after 30-40 seconds, sometimes returning to the same place.

She was kind enough to stay on my side of the bank after laying on the opposite bank where I thought that had lost it.
Spawning lasted about ten minutes.

(Ph. 150709)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

July 20th

Red, red, all is red in the scarlet dragonfly [Crocothemis erythraea].

The legs, chest, the flat abdomen and the broad face.

A small bluish streak behind the eyes, almost nothing.

ph. 240609 070709




A small yellow spot at the base of the hind wing.

(ph. 070709)

Let's stay with the red of the red-veined darter [Sympetrum fonscolombii].

I have seen several since the end of June around a clayey pond recently.

ph. 240609















(ph. 070709)


















Mid July, they are still numerous.




(150709)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

July 22th

'O Sole mio...

A good surprise to meet these two ones.

The Lesser emperor. [Parthenope Anax-Anax-Aeshnides -]





It is a bit smaller than the Anax imperator (7cm).

The wings, especially here, the female ones, are tinged with brown from the middle of the wing and the pterostigma.

Ring yellow contrasting with the blue to the top of the abdomen and green eyes over brown thorax background.






I saw it fly very aggressively over the pond without succeeding to catch it in photos.

 

That day, here it is in tandem and good look they alight near the bank to spawn in an iris leaf soaking in water.
Among the few Aeshnidae which lay in tandem.

Spawning lasted very long.

All at the same place, except for a small fly over the water to alight a little farther from the bank on a tree branch and another vertical displacement in the same iris.

Some eggs laid and return almost immediate to their favourite bunch of iris.

This laying was so long on the same leaf, that these two white-legged damselflies [Platycnemis pennipe] took the abdomen of the female for a nice twig!

35mn spawning and I do not know if they parted to spawn a little further. I did not saw them separate when they flew.

(Ph.200709)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

23 juillet

Accouplement du Sympetrum sanguin [Sympetrum sanguineum].

Une belle femelle bien placée sur sa branche prenait le soleil, vite rejointe par un mâle posé non loin de là.

Deux minutes plus tard la ponte commence.

Le mâle continue de tenir la femelle et la monte et la descend sur le lieu de ponte choisi. La femelle accompagne car elle bat aussi des ailes. Il plonge en avant entraînant la femelle qui lâche alors ses œufs que l'on aperçoit au bout de son abdomen puis remonte.

Le lieu choisi n'est pas au-dessus de l'eau mais au sec, sur la berge au-dessus d'une touffe de carex dont le centre est sec, à un mètre de l'eau. Habituel pour le Sympetrum de pondre ainsi "à terre" mais surprenant.

Les œufs resteront en "sommeil" (diapause), c'est à dire que leur développement sera arrêté, indépendamment de conditions environnementales ou de facteurs défavorables (nous sommes mi-juillet, il fait beau...). La diapause est génétique. Les œufs passeront l'hiver et écloront le printemps suivant.

Une minute plus tard ils se séparent et la femelle continue de pondre seule, laissant tomber ses œufs qui forment ce collier de perles. Le mâle posé non loin de là, veille.

Pour avoir une idée de l'échelle, voici à droite une vue de l'endroit de la ponte, on distingue l'eau un peu plus loin en arrière. Les œufs sont largués de haut. Le sol ne se voit pas, il est encore plus bas, le Sympetrum sanguin ayant pour taille environ 3,5-4 cm la vue d'ensemble ne l'aurait pas montré. On arrive à distinguer encore le point blanc des œufs au bout de l'abdomen.


(Ph.200709)

Un peu plus...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diapause