...it just landed on me.
There were tons of odes out on Monday. There were a few who followed us along, zipping back and forth across our bows. Tough to identify species in that case...but you can definitely tell what family they are from. The zoomers were mostly Gomphidae (Clubtails), but the identification of an individual species from their flight is problematic for even the best entomologists and
impossible for me.
Here's the case...I identified the above creature as a Cobra Clubtail (Gomphus vastus). After closer inspection, I was wrong. It's a Midland Clubtail. See that little yellow spot on the last segment?
This, ladies and gentlemen, is why entomologists get paid the big bucks.
I'm contemplating how much ego I had invested in being able to identify this off the bat without careful consideration. Since I have to contemplate it, the answer is obviously "too much." Time for me to remember, gentle readers, that I don't know jack about anything without a trusty guidebook.
Humbly submitted,
Canoelover
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1 comment:
Nice one. I thought it was a Splendid, but you're totally right. And rest assured, in the north woods, ALL odonatists have Mead's book in their back pocket.
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