I took a short walk in Walpole, MA, today (26 September 2022). I ended up at a small pond and started noticing a few interesting animals in the warm afternoon sun (more on that later). I was taking photographs and noticed a dragonfly a bit further away along the shoreline. It was a female ovipositing (laying eggs), so it was in the same area long enough for me to snap a few distant photos.
When I finished photographing the first subject, I decided to take a quick look for the dragonfly as I wasn't certain which species it was. I was scanning for a dragonfly in flight and wasn't having any luck when I noticed a fluttering movement near the ground. I looked down to see this:
I couldn't believe it, but the dragonfly had been caught by a Bull Frog (Lithobates catesbeianus)!
And amazingly it looked like this was a Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans), a dragonfly that used to be rare when I last lived in Massachusetts. It sounds like Great Blue Skimmers (a southern species) have become more common in Massachusetts during the last 18 years, but they are still infrequently encountered.
Here are a couple of different angles:
P.S. Many thanks to Blair for helping to confirm the dragonfly identification and the current status of Great Blue Skimmers in Massachusetts.
3 comments:
At least she got to procreate!I thought you might have gotten a shot of her eggs. I have never seen dragonfly eggs. Good eye as always Jackie.
I was also thinking....that is either a huge dragonfly or a small bullfrog!
Hello!
In this case, her eggs are dropped directly into the water, so hard to find and photograph. Other dragonfly species insert their eggs into plant stems, and those eggs are much easier to find!
And, good catch! That Bullfrog is on the smaller side, and the dragonfly is meduum-sized. We were wondering what the frog was thinking -- was it wondering how to proceed? I'm sure it didn't want to let go, but it also appeared to be quite a mouthful!
Jackie
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