Dragonflies Return to a Dry Florida Spring

One of the very few butterflies I have seen recently is the white peacock which lays eggs on the common water hyssop plant (Bacopa monnieri).  Strangely enough this widely distributed plant is important in Ayurveda, a type of folk medicine from India; it is thought to strengthen memory with little scientific basis ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacopa_monnieri ).  There is certainly a huge amount of this plant growing around the perimeter of fresh water wetlands.

Two species of damselflies have been common along the edges of several ponds in Ann Dever Park for some time.  The familiar bluet is quite a spectacular color.  Many odonates have brightly colored males and even sometimes the females not only are brown but may resemble the bright males.  The pretty males seem to be designed to hold territories and attract females to mate.  The bright females may be a mechanism to deflect the overly aggressive desires of males to mate.  The Rambur’s forktail is quite different in color from the bluet but similarly has a complicated male/female/andromorph mating system.  For such primitive insects it is remarkable how complex the breeding systems of these odonates are.

The third week in March is the first time I have seen adult dragonflies in flight in 2026.  Given the drought conditions natural wetlands containing water are scarce but water remains in constructed wetlands excavated in parks and housing developments.  I was able to get photographs of five species of dragonflies in one small wetland.  So many people find bird watching exciting but very few focus on dragonflies unfortunately.  But just look at these beauties and you might be stimulated to study them further.  The eastern pondhawk male is bluish with white cerci at the rear of the abdomen; the females are greenish and quite different.  The roseate skimmer male is the ultimate “pretty male in pink.”  The non-native scarlet skimmer is as red as one could be but smaller than the roseate.  The Carolina saddlebags has a very different pattern on the base of the wings.  The four spotted pennant (this is a juvenile and lacks the spots) is the only Florida dragonfly with white stigmata on the end of the wings.  All dragonflies are predatory and are valued for their taste for mosquitos; whether they eat a significant number is uncertain.

When you walk around the perimeter of a pond you will often see circular structures along the edge which are nests constructed by the tilapia fish.  This tasty introduction from Africa is now widespread in southern Florida along with many other non-native fish.  Indeed these fish dominate many wetlands and seem to have negatively impacted a native bird the FL gallinule.  This bird feeds on surface floating vegetation and attached invertebrates but has been outcompeted by tilapia.  During my lifetime I have noticed a huge decrease in gallinules while some other birds such as swamp hens have also been introduced and are thriving.

The great egret shown here hunting for small surface swimming fish is doing well despite human modifications of its habitat.  In part this seems to be due to its ability to feed both in water and on land.  For example it is often seen “fishing” for small brown anole lizards in yards and seems quite successful in this pursuit.  In contrast this juvenile yellow crowned night heron is limited more strictly to aquatic habitats (usually saline) and specializes in crustaceans/crabs.  The huge sturdy black beak of the yellow crowned (in contrast to the smaller beak of the black crowned night heron) seems well suited for catching and crushing crabs.

I was very excited to find a cardinal sitting on a nest of three beautiful speckled eggs in a spiny bougainvillea bush next to my house.  Sadly the nest was predated (possibly by a fish crow) due perhaps to its less than fully camouflaged location.  But this illustrates how difficult it may be for birds to breed with so many predators around.

I include a photo of a male and possibly female house finch at my water drip/bath.  These birds are of south western origin but were introduced to eastern N America by releases in the 1940’s and are now abundant.  They do have a pleasant song which you will hear a lot.  So they are native to N America but not to the east.

I was on my daily walk and came across this half grown raccoon which quickly starting climbing a pine tree.  It seems a bit young to be away from its mother but maybe she was hiding nearby.

I will soon be leaving FL for my NC home for the summer.  So you will in the future be receiving nature notes on my experiences along the Haw River and nearby in the Piedmont of NC.