“Sweet Nectar” Delivers

Kevin “Sweet Nectar” Hemeon strikes again. This intrepid naturalist has chalked up yet another Vermont state record. Even though he lives in Hoosick, NY (not far from Bennington County), Kevin is a legend of sorts among Vermont lepidopterists. The guy is a state-record machine. During the Vermont Butterfly Survey, Kevin racked up at least a half dozen state records. He was the first to locate in Vermont, for example, Pipevine Swallowtail, Common Buckeye and Common Checkered Skipper. A few years ago Kevin turned his exuberance and artful swing toward dragonflies. He found Vermont’s first Enallagma durum (Big Bluet). And on August 6, Kevin got another – the state’s first Tramea carolina (Carolina Saddlebags). Here’s his account and my own image of copulating Tramea carolina, from, yep, North Carolina.

After spotting a Giant Swallowtail in Loudonville, NY, this May, I fully expected them to make it to Vermont at some point this year. Sure enough one was spotted and photographed in Addison last week. This was all the encouragement I needed to search for one on my own. My first stop was the Bennington Dump. Before you scoff, know that reclamation work at the dump included prairie wildflowers planted by Taconic Tristate Audubon Society. I have found many interesting butterflies and dragonflies at the site.

With no Giant Swallowtails, however, I decided to check a small retention pond where I had found Libellula cyanea (Spangled Skimmer), a rarity in Vermont, a few weeks previous. Almost immediately I spotted a patrolling male Tramea carolina (Carolina Saddlebags). This is a Vermont record so I went about trying to voucher it. A good 45-60 minutes later, I was successful.

This got me curious about a site where I had seen many T. lacerata (Black Saddlebags) earlier this year. I decided to check a spot at South Stream. My luck was good. Three male T. carolina were patrolling and I noticed one tandem pair.

The southern air flow may have made the last few weeks uncomfortable but, they have given Vermont a few nice surprises in return. What’s next?