This Sunday (and Father’s Day), we took a short trip to Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area intending to see some dragonflies. Both the summertime and the creekside and lakeside habitat made Shadow Cliffs particularly dragonfly-friendly.
Our trip was, by-and-large, a success. Dragonflies were everywhere, swooping, diving and hovering both above and around the water. A particularly beautiful species was the Widow Skimmer, which we saw several times.
Widow Skimmer
Other dragonfly species included several Western Pondhawks and Common Green Darners.
In addition to the dragonfly-life, we saw several other pond-frequenting wildlife, including birds such as Black Phoebes and a couple Western Pond Turtles.
Black Phoebe, often seen around water bodies
Pied-Billed Grebe, a common bird seen in ponds (notice the bill)
These species, and great weather, made for a great trip.
Western Pond Turtle