December dragon

  

Air temperatures reached the mid-high 50's today, but the afternoon sun was warm enough to activate this dragonfly.  It zipped into our backyard and landed on one of the remaining hot peppers in the garden.

Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum) photographed in Cotati on 1 December 2025.  

With many thanks to Eric for the great photo!

Dragonfly movement at the coast

 

 

I was away at a meeting this week, but Eric was in Bodega Bay and observed a significant movement of dragonflies (and some butterflies) along the coast today (4 October 2023).  He caught and photographed a couple of them to document which species were involved.

 

Pictured above is a male Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum).  Below is an example of a female:

 

 

 

Eric counted ~40 dragonflies/minute flying south along the outer coast of Bodega Head at ~10:45 a.m.  I was curious about the weather conditions at the time.  I knew it had been warm, but I didn't know how warm!

 

There are several weather stations on Bodega Head.  I checked the first and didn't believe my eyes because it had peaked at ~87°F (~30°C) today.  So I checked a second and it also read ~87°F!  Then to be sure I checked a third (and the one I generally consider the most accurate) and it peaked at ~85°F (~29°C).  Amazing!  Air temperatures that high are quite rare on Bodega Head.

 

There was also an unusual spike in air temperature this morning.  It started out in the 50s this morning, but then rose steadily to 70°F at 10 a.m. and continued to rise significantly until reaching ~85°F at noontime.  Then it plummeted back to ~70°F for the rest of the afternoon.  (The wind direction also changed with the temperature pattern, from north/northeast then veering to west.)

 

More hot temperatures are expected tomorrow, so it'll be interesting to see if there are more movements of insects at the coast.

Soaking up some rays

Air temperatures reached ~58°F (~14.5°C) in Bodega Bay this afternoon, but the sun and calm wind conditions made it feel even warmer.

I happened upon a few insects basking in the sun:

 

Two-banded Skipper (Pyrgus ruralis)

(This is the first time I've seen this butterfly species in Bodega Bay.)

 

California Darner (Rhionaeschna californica) 

And a close-up from the side:

 

 

Cardinal Meadowhawk (Sympetrum illotum)

It looks like it might be cloudy for the next few days, but the sun might return at the end of the week, bringing more chances for insect sightings.

 

Solar-powered

Air temperatures in Bodega Bay reached ~56°F (~13°C) this afternoon.  After a week of rain, it seemed like a lot of insects were taking advantage of the sun today:

 

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

 

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

 

Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum)

 

Unidentified fly (Let me know if you recognize it!)

ADDENDUM (12 February 2017): One of the suggestions I received about the fly in this post was that it could be a hover fly.  I did a quick image search, and noticed a similar-looking hover fly here.  I don't think it's the same species (based on the abdominal patterning), but it's very close, and I think it's likely the fly in the picture above is in the same family (Syrphidae).

Then I skimmed some information about syrphid flies, and learned that sometimes they eat aphids.  In the field I had noticed that these flies were spending a lot of time around the tips of the Monterey Cypress.  I wondered about what they were doing there (i.e., what was attracting them to those sites).  Well, I went back and reviewed my photos and it looks like there might be tiny aphids on the cypress tips!  Check it out — and note the arrow pointing to one of the possible aphids:

 

A record day

Today I set my personal record for the greatest number of dragonfly species seen on Bodega Head in one day.

Remember that Bodega Head isn't a great site for dragonflies — it's often cold and windy, and there isn't much fresh water.  But on warm days in late summer/fall, species that are known to disperse along the coast often appear.  I was happy to set my own record, and to document one species that I hadn't observed on Bodega Head before.  

How many species do you think I saw?  (The answer is below this picture.)

 

Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) — male

On 15 August 2015, I recorded 10 species of dragonflies on Bodega Head.  I was excited, but also a little frustrated, because I thought I should have been able to find one more species.

I photographed 8 out of the 10 species.  Although I have seen a Blue Dasher (above) in the Bodega Dunes, this is the first time I've photographed one on Bodega Head.

The next picture is a "documentary" image — it's not a great photo, but it serves as a record.  This is the first time I've seen this species on Bodega Head.

 

 Western Pondhawk (Erythemis collocata) — an ovipositing female

Below are the other six species I photographed today:

 

 Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum) — male

 

 Cardinal Meadowhawk (Sympetrum illotum) — ovipositing pair

 

Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata) — male

 

Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta) — female 

 

Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella) — male

 

 Common Green Darner (Anax junius) — male, in the upper left corner of the photo
[There is also a Black Saddlebags in the upper right corner.]

And the two species that I observed but didn't photograph?  Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea) and a mosaic darner, probably Blue-eyed Darner (Rhionaeschna multicolor).

I don't think it will be easy to see more than 10 species of dragonflies in one day on Bodega Head, but I'll keep trying, and I'd love to hear about your observations, too.

 

Winter sun

Although air temperatures have been cool lately, it was surprisingly warm in the midday sun on 4 January 2013.  During a quick walk through a section of the Bodega Dunes Campground, I spotted a few insects basking in the winter sun:

 

Red Admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) on eucalyptus bark.  To see what this species looks like with its wings open, review the post from 25 November 2012.  I only saw one admiral on 4 January 2013.

 

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) sipping from wet mud.  Note the long tapering proboscis arching down to the ground (just in front of the eye).  I saw at least 4-5 Monarchs on 4 January 2013.  For more about overwintering Monarchs, see the post from last February.

 

Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum).  You can read a little more about Variegated Meadowhawks in the post from 16 August 2012.  They're not common in winter, but can be seen year-round in California.  I saw two individuals on 4 January 2013.