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Cameron, Hidalgo Counties, 1-3 November 2003

6 November 2003 (v 1.2 Odonates; Lepidoptera to come)

Below is a location by location listing from three days of primarily odonate searching in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties. While i was also interested in tracking down some of the great butterflies found at refuges and butterfly parks during the Texas Butterfly Festival, a larger portion of my time was spent driving levees and scouting resacas, roadside ditches and out of the way ponds. I found 35 species of identified Odonates on the trip. I still have a couple that i don't have IDs for as well; and some corrections may be due as i get confirmations in the next few weeks/months.

I should note that despite finding numerous odes, not a single species of Gomphid was seen.

Among the better butterflies and other critters seen on the trip were: Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak (Edinburg Wetlands World Birding Center), Malachite (Santa Ana NWR), quite a few Mexican Bluewings (Santa Ana NWR and woodlots east of SANWR), Red-bordered Pixie (Santa Ana NWR), Xami Hairstreak (Port of Brownsville Loma), and some skippery-things not yet confirmed; Gray Hawk (Santa Ana NWR), Green Parakeets (Brownsville), Tropical Kingbird (Brownsville), Aplomado Falcon (south of Laguna Atascosa NWR) and a Jaguarundi (!; between woodlands east of Santa Ana NWR).

Photos of many of these will be posted to my website - sift down through the Odes and Leps surveys from my invertebrate pages at: http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/margaret/203/

+ = species documented (photographed and/or collected; some for presence, some for late dates). Critters noted as damselfly sp., etc. are ones collected and/or photographed for identification. I made no attempt to enumerate the many things i could not/did not identify in the field.

1 November 2003

TX: Cameron Co., South Padre Island, PR 100, north of the tourist zone at small swales behind dunes on gulf side of road. First light at 5:55 a.m. CST, first odonate at 6:22 a.m. CST in dawn twilight; Sunrise at 6:38 a.m. CST. It was a Wandering Glider, quickly followed by many others and a few Green Darners. 5:45 a.m. - 7:40 a.m. CST, 82º F, mostly clear. 27' elev. 26º 12.846'N 97º 10.819'W.

*150 Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens)

* 1 forktail sp.

2 darner sp. (probably Common Green Darner)

TX: Cameron Co., on the road

1 Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens)

6 Black Saddlebags (some coupled) (Tramea lacerata)

TX: Cameron Co., resaca on FM 1420 ca. 2 miles south of Jct. Laureles Road at entryway to Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. 8:50 a.m. CST, 84º F, ptly cldy. 50' elev. 26º 09.559'N 97º 21.592'W.

* 1 Rainpool Spreadwing (Lestes forficula)

* 1 bluet sp. (creamy-gray in color) (Enallagma sp.)

4 Common Green Darner (Anax junius)

1 Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea)

1 dragonfly sp. (with black banding on wings, only glimpsed; perhaps Band-winged Dragonlet)

* 100 Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens)

* 6 Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum cooruptum)

20 Red/Striped Saddlebags (Tramea onusta/calverti)

40 Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata)

bluet sp., Enallagma sp.

In life this critter is creamy-gray with light blue highlights. Further down is another one at Laguna Atascosa.

Perhaps it's only some version of Enallagma civile or E. durum, but it's new to me.

FM 1420, Cameron County, 1 November 2003

TX: Cameron Co., Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, butterfly gardens. 9:30 a.m. - 12 noon, 85º F, ptly cldy. 25' elev. 26º 13.766'N 97º 20.817'W.

* 1 bluet sp. (creamy-gray in color) (Enallagma sp.)

* 4 Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile)

* 1 Citrine Forktail (Ischnura hastata)

1 Desert Firetail (Telebasis salva)

* 2 Kiowa Dancer (Argia immunda)

* 10 Thornbush Dasher (Micrathyria hagenii)

* 4 Roseate Skimmer (wheeled) (Orthemis ferruginea)

6 Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum)

* 8 Red-tailed Pennant (Brachymesia furcata)

20 Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens)

2 Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata)