Shadow Darner

My camera gear finally arrived repaired and ready to go from the service center, and there's some catching up to do. I'll be putting together several posts this week time permitting.

The Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa) was an exciting find. They get their name from the habit of flying and hunting in shaded areas like forest edges, under tree canopies, and along wooded streams. Most dragonflies prefer sunlit habitats.

The scientific name Aeshna umbrosa comes from the Greek aeschna (meaning ugly or misshapen) and umbrosa is Latin for “shadowy” or “shaded.” Aeshna is a misrendering of aischros by early taxonomists. It was a word chosen stylistically, not descriptively (the Shadow darner being neither ugly or misshapen) it was simply a Greek-sounding name thought elegant and classical. The early science of taxonomy, it would seem, was not entirely scientific.

Shadow darners will be around through November - much later than other dragonflies who are mostly gone by October. Dragonflies are ectothermic - they have no internal source of heat and count on sunlight for warmth. Unlike most dragonflies Shadow darners can elevate and maintain the temperature their flight muscles through rapid wing movements. This is a big part of the reason it can remain active in cooler, shaded, and late-season conditions when most species can no longer fly.

I spotted this one at the far end of the big pond sunning itself, no doubt a lucky observation as it's the first sighting I have had over three years of keeping watch.