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Fauna of Mishaka-Ike Pond: Akiakane Dragonfly
「秋の季の赤蜻蛉に定まりぬ」
- Location: Chino, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
- Timestamp: 08:06・2024/09/11
- Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
- ISO 320 for 1/900 sec. at ƒ/3.6
- Velvia/Vivid film simulation
While wrapping up my photo walk along the shore of Mishaka-Ike Pond in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, I came across several akiakane dragonflies (Sympetrum frequens), also known as Autumn darters, perched atop the barrier fence posts lining the northern shoreline of the pond.
The Autumn darter is a species endemic to Japan. These dragonflies migrate to high mountains, where they feed, before descending to lower-altitude bodies of water like ponds or rice fields to breed.
In Japan, akiakane dragonflies are often associated with the arrival of autumn. One well-known haiku by Kaya Shirao (加舎白雄, 1738–1791) even references the dragonfly:
秋の季の (aki no ki no)赤蜻蛉に (aka tonbo-u ni)定まりぬ (sadamirinu)The start of autumnIs always decided byThe red dragonfly.
Dragonflies also symbolize courage, strength, and happiness in Japanese culture. Personally, I love how different species of dragonflies display vivid colors and patterns, from reds and blues to greens. I especially admire their flight and their distinctive double set of wings.
The dragonfly in my photo appeared to be drinking dew droplets that had collected on the post. This might explain why it didn’t fly away, unlike many of the others I tried to photograph earlier.
Getting close enough to this dragonfly without disturbing it was challenging. The fixed lens on my camera didn’t allow me to zoom in, so I had to move in physically. Naturally, this is a cropped image—the actual distance from the dragonfly was about half an arm’s length.
The iconic akiakane dragonfly uses flooded rice paddies during the nymph stage of its lifecycle. Unfortunately, as of 2020, broad-spectrum pesticides, including neonicotinoids, are still used in rice farming in Japan. These chemicals, though banned in some other countries, are toxic to dragonflies and other aquatic life in ponds, lakes, and streams where agricultural runoff accumulates.
The fact that I saw so many akiakane around this pond may indicate that local rice paddies are not heavily reliant on such pesticides. If so, it’s a positive sign for the area's ecosystem.
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