Cheraw, South Carolina, May 8 - 11, 2008
Thursday, May 8
After a 11 hour drive Fabrice de Lacour and I arrived in Cheraw, South
Carolina, the site of the 2008 Southeast Regional DSA meeting. We left
New York in the rain and didn't see the sun until we reached North Carolina.
We were greeted by a lot of familiar friendly faces milling around the
motel parking lot. Steve Krotzer handed me a live male Appalachian Snaketail
Ophiogomphus incurvatus that he had caught the previous day in
Georgia. What a tiny species. It's one I've looked for without success
last year. I'm not sure I can count this one as a lifer but it was a great
way to start the meeting.
Friday, May 9
The next morning we set off for Cheraw State Park starting at a tiny boggy
area adjacent to a large lake. We found minute Elfin Skimmers Nanothemis
bella, Calico and Ornate Pennants Celithemis elisa and ornata,
and a few Mantled Baskettails Epitheca semiaequea hiding from the
morning wind. Appropriately several Carolina Saddlebags Tramea carolina
were flying. As we made our way around the lake, a couple of Clearlake
Clubtails Gomphus australis were netted. Less of a surprise were
a handful of Diminutive and Lancet Clubtails Gomphus diminutus
and exilis braving the wind along the trail. At the spillway of
the lake's dam I was hoping to find a target species Piedmont Clubtail
Gomphus parvidens. Giff Beaton and I were standing in a sunny spot
when a clubtail landed at Giff's feet. It was dully patterned and we both
thought it might be an Ashy Clubtail Gomphus lividus but luckily
decided to catch it to make sure. I extracted it from my net and my mind
drew a blank. It wasn't lividus but a Gomphurus of some
kind. It completely puzzled us and it took Steve to correctly identify
it as a Septima's Clubtail Gomphus septima, and a new State record.
The spillway and the little blackwater stream that flowed from it didn't
look right at all for the species.
However we found more Septima's Clubtails throughout the morning including
several on the fringes of a golf course. There was only a couple of sightings
of Piedmont Clubtail in flight before we gave up and had lunch. Later
a pair of Piedmont Clubtails were found and photographed at another stream
crossing.
The afternoon was spent at Campbell Lake, a picturesque spot at the edge
of the State Park. Little Blue Dragonlet Erythrodiplax minuscula
was the only new dragonfly here but there was a good variety of damselflies.
On the lake there were Attenuated and Cherry Bluets Enallagma daeckii
and concisum. At the outflow stream there were numerous Blue-tipped
Dancers Argia tibialis and Blackwater Bluets Enallagma weewa
hiding in the shadows.
Late in the afternoon a couple of Baskettails Epitheca sp. started
making patrol flights over the lake. We were speculating from their behavior
that they might be Sepia Baskettails Epitheca sepia. Armed with
a net Giff waded in. Eventually Steve, Jim Johnson and Fabrice joined
the hunt. After an lengthy vigil Steve finally netted one but it turned
out to be the common Slender Baskettail Epitheca costalis but at
least we knew for sure.
At the stream Jerrell Daigle found a couple of exuviae he identified as
Alabama Shadowdragon Neurocordulia alabamensis. This prompted several
of us to return at sunset to hunt for the dragonfly. At dusk Vesper Bluets
Enallagma vesperum appeared on the lake but at the stream no Shadowdragons
were seen that evening.
Saturday, May 10
The next day we started at a spot just over the North Carolina line that
Jerrell had visited many years ago. So long ago that we found very little
and the property was posted, "No trespassing." We backtracked
and found ourselves at another lake. A sign proclaimed it "Dragonfly
Lake" which was inviting and the future site of a private gated community,
which was not. We found several new species for the meeting like Prince
Baskettail Epitheca princeps, Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia,
and Eastern Amberwing Perithemis tenera. Of most interest to me
were the teneral Double-ringed Pennants Celithemis verna that we
flushed from the vegetation. I needed reference for the female and caught
one. Giff wanted to get some photographs but they would flush and fly
high into the sky, eventually landing up in the trees.
After lunch we went back to Cheraw State Park to look unsuccessfully for
more bogs. I spent the rest of the afternoon at the spillway stream in
the company of several Piedmont Clubtails. Fabrice, Jerrell, and I decided
to stay and wait here for Shadowdragons. We passed the time trying to
make each Piedmont Clubtail into a Banner Clubtail Gomphus apomyius
but couldn't manage it. A golden Prothonotary Warbler sang and fed in
the trees nearby and Fabrice caught a young Cottonmouth (which I insisted
he release well away from where we were waiting in the falling light).
Jerrell spotted the first Shadowdragon at 8:15 pm. Fabrice got one in
his net but didn't realize it so it got away (a Neurocordulia rookie
mistake). I had a couple of poor, slow swings and misses. Eight minutes
later by Jerrell's watch, the flight was over and we headed back to the
motel shamefully empty-handed.
Sunday, May 11
It was forecast to rain and it did. Hard. So ended another enjoyable meeting
and we headed home a little earlier than we had planned. I had hoped to
look for Appalachian Snaketail and other species on the way north but
with the weather not expecting to clear for a couple of days there was
no chance of that.
Trip mileage in the gray Prius: 1375
