Most of us have certainly noticed dragonflies upon occasion as we are meandering about the woodlands, rangelands, and wetlands of Mendocino County. Usually we associate them with wetland or riparian areas ...those areas influenced by water. However, some species of dragonflies, at the least the mature adults, search for prey over dry grasslands, brushlands, or woodlands.
One of these is the Cardinal Meadowhawk (Sympetrum illotum), which is, of course, in the phylogenetic order Odonata (dragonflies). The Latin name of the genus, Sympetrum, means "with rock" and refers to their habit of perching on rocks. They do this early in the day apparently to absorb heat. They also commonly await atop any twig, branch, or rock perch-site in ready expectation to launch forward in pursuit of prey, which can be almost any soft-bodied flying insect.
The Cardinal Meadowhawk is a common and widespread dragonfly, and is found from southern British Columbia down the west coast to all the way to Chile and Argentina. It is a small dragonfly, but a large species for this genus, being about 1 1/2 inches long. Here you see the bright red-orange male, which I saw perching on twigs near a milkweed patch in late September.
