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Posts Tagged "odonata"

Female Blue Dasher Ovipositing

Posted on Jul 1, 2016

Female Blue Dasher Ovipositing

How cool does this hovering aircraft look? This female Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) is ovipositing, laying eggs, into aquatic vegetation in a pond as photographed last week. As you can see they are quite skilled at keeping their head still while their wings are whipping and the abdomen is being pressed into the water.

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Common Whitetail

Posted on Jun 30, 2016

Common Whitetail

Can you identify this extra close friend? Here we have the Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia) dragonfly with this male being cooperative in hand for a moment as I took a look at those eyes and that face. Birds in hand look very much like…birds…you know, the ones we see from afar with our eyes, binoculars, and spotting scopes. Dragonflies often look so very different as the features we see while they are flitting through the air – stripes on the thorax or abdomen, colored wings, an overall body shade – are lost in the details of their complex face, head, and even...

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Slaty Skimmer

Posted on Jun 28, 2016

Slaty Skimmer

This Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) is not hanging out in the desert, though it may look like that from this photo. Much of the region is running a strong rainfall deficit from the past few months with many areas abnormally dry and some in the midst of moderate drought. This combined with higher than average temperatures and aggressive destruction of vegetation in areas around ponds like this one (I promise there is a pond out of sight in this photo with actual water) can make what was a favorable area for insects and thus birds and other wildlife far less attractive and beneficial. Water...

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Male Eastern Pondhawk

Posted on Jun 27, 2016

Male Eastern Pondhawk

I was able to spend a little time checking out a couple of usually good spots for dragonflies last week. This lovely male Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) was waiting for some females on a leaf on the edge of a pond. June is usually the beginning of the main part of our flight season, and this is the best time of year to get out and find some odonates. Whether they are zipping by capturing prey, mating, ovipositing, warming themselves or more you should explore any type of wet area near you to find them busy as can be in the summer sun. If you need some creative plans for the...

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Dragonfly Season

Posted on Jun 20, 2016

Dragonfly Season

RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser is excited it is dragonfly season once again – what about you? Yep, this is more nature art, or art of nature, but it really is all the same. Photographed for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project while on assignment for The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.  

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