Dragonfly invasion!!!!

Our yard has a ton of dragonflies this year!!!!

Here's another. This one is really friendly!

And another :)

One more. I don't know if this is a dragonfly or not because it's tail is different?

Interesting that you should comment on this because I was noticing that I have never seen as many dragonflies as I have seen in the past month in my yard here in Iowa. I thought it was a local thing but maybe it's more widespread. I have been seeing different types to yours but I didn't take any pix.

Your pix are great - really nice detail!

We have even more damselflys but I can't seem to get a good picture of them!

Beautiful detail! We have a couple of dragonflies, but I can never seem to catch them with the camera... too quick for me!

I keep 4' bamboo stakes in the garden this time of year just for the dragonflies. They seem to appreciate it and keep them decorated with one large red dragonfly per stake.

Dragonflies eat mosquitoes and I love them. We have lots of them, all colors.
Frogs, I will add more plant stakes. I noticed they like to rest on tall stuff.
I admire people who can take butterfly and dragonfly pictures, mine turn out fuzzy!

thanks for the tip on stakes, friends. i will try that next year. I understand that the "mosquito hawk" is a juvenile dragonfly; we noticed a few last night on a walk, which we don't usually see except if they wander into the house.

Peter

i had heard the dragonflies eat mosquitoes. What is odd to me, though, is that because of little rain and way less than usual humidity we haven't had mosquitoes, like we usually do in this area. Still I believe I've had more dragonflies this year than I remember. why would that be?

also, am I imagining this or do dragonflies tend to hover around weak or dying plants?

Dragonflies eat all sorts of flying insects, but we especially love them when they keep the mosquitos down. The Dragonflies like bare branches to lounge on, it gives them an unobstructed view of surroundings.It is also these kind of branches that they crawl from the pond and shed their larvae skin, and become dragonflies. I have a old fish tank in addition to my pond - called the dragonarium I keep outside on the deck. The Dragonflies lay their eggs in the water, where the larvae spends the first part of their life, (most unpleasant looking). I watched one hatch from my pond a few weeks ago, it was an amazing site. The first few hours were a bit of a strugle for him. I wanted to take a picture, but did not want his zillion eyes to be flashed in - during his first few hours as a dragonfly. When I clean my pond, I make sure to pick through the old leaves for the larvae- which go into the dragonarium. the Larvae eat tad poles and all sorts of other water critters. Right now the dragonflies are stocking the ponds with eggs that will over winter.
Rj

very interesting

This one was huge. It was flying around our porch late last night!

Cool!
I have noticed it's been a good year for the Dragonflies too. Wonder what makes one year for Butterflies and Dragonflies better than another?

Speaking with a neighbor, she told me she use to have a prof. at college that studied dragon flies. Actually, she said he counted them across the country. The reason? . . . It was an indecation of unpolluted water. The more dragon flies, the cleaner the water. Of course this is all second person telling me, but it sounds reliable.

I think that I made a friend. This one follows me around everywhere. Today I got right up to it and watched it clean it's face. Too cute.

Hi, I'm New here, I bought my first digital camera in June and am having fun with it. Here is my favorite D'Fly pic.
Andy P

Here is my second fav, this red one was very cooperative.

I like the second one. I haven't seen any red ones around here yet! Thanks for sharing!

kim

KAUAI17, your dragonfly with white tail and black (actually dark brown) wing bands is a male Common Whitetail. Your first picture is a juvenile female Blue Dasher. I am building an album of dragonfly pictures and feel like I am going back to school. Takes a lot of study to identify every new visitor. For example, the red eyes on a Blue Dasher, male or female, signifies juvenile. If you are interested in dragonflies, I recommend "Dragonflies through Binoculars", by Sidney W. Dunkle (Amazon.com).
The only other readily available dragonfly book, reasonably priced, is Stokes' "Beginner's Guide to Dragonflies". It also has a section in the front on damselflies.

I would appreciate help from anyone that can identify the dragonfly in my photo attached. I can match up everything except the yellow stigma on the wing tips.

Note - the dragonfly is eating a fly, caught between shots.

Love the dragonfly pics!

catbird, is that a drop of water or a triangular ovipositor? It could be a Meadowhawk if it is.

Thanks for the flowers, fly_girl. Actually I am catbird8' mate. She wants me to get my own ID in Dave's but I am holding off due to having so many photos posted. I'm the photographer in the family, she is the plant nut - Harris County Master Gardener. We both got started bird watching together, which led to butterfly watching and then to gardening for both. In the process of scouring the gardens for butterflies to photograph, I got bitten by the dragonfly bug.

The item you mentioned in the photo is called a "lateral flange". Several skimmers have them and they are always on S8. I believe this one has one on each side.
Maybe they all do, just I think I can see them in a different shot. The flanges are used to help splash their eggs onto the shore.

Rod, Mate of 8

I love the dragons too....just don't let the larvae bite you LOL

Interesting about the flange, I've never seen those up here.

This picture is interesting...any ideas of what the Damsel is doing?

Haven't a clue on the damselfly. If I had to guess, it might be recently emerged and is hanging out to dry.

The flanges are not generally noticed as most dragonfly shots are taken at an angle that doesn't show the flange (if there is one). Probably less than a dozen overall have the flange and they are mostly if not all in the Skimmer group.

Just wish the rain would let up so that picture taking can continue.

To one and all - I have received an answer to my request for ID of my Skimmer. Picture above. [HYPERLINK@stephenville.tamu.edu] from HILL 5422, who must have an inside track to the right contacts at TAMU.
My repeated thanks here to Hill5422, as that bug was just about to drive me buggy. The ID is female Neon Skimmer, probably recently emerged, which accounts for the unusually pale stigma,etc.

I hope the link above connects, as the pictures there are AWESOME!

Thanks for those who contributed to my search.

Rod (mate of catbird8)

Hi, Rod. Funny you should revive this thread now. I just ID'd a pretty green Dragonfly I shot this weekend.
A female Eastern Pondhawk. She let me shoot all I wanted. She flew off once but I know they return to favored perches, so I waited very still.
I've gotten a bit better with the camera and editing since those first shots, too. lol.
Andy P

Another angle. Note the short wing.
The males are blue.
Andy P

Our yard here in Houston is litterally overrun with female Eastern Pondhawks and Blue Dashers. However, I have yet to see or photograph a male E. Pondhawk. Attached is a juvenile female E. Pondhawk.

Do you think we need a new thread?

Rod (mate of 8)

New thread ? Not unless you want your name at the top, lol. Be sure to post a link here if you do. I don't usually frequent this forum. I did 2 years ago, and it was on my watch list.
There are so many forums here now, I just post my pics on the Photo forum and on my own photo site of course.
I don't know much about Dragonflies or bugs in general. I check BugGuide.net if I shoot a new one or ask here on the bug ID forum. I'm slowly learning their names, one at a time.
Andy P

Andy, I will be guided by your experience and forego any future thoughts of starting a new thread :-).

Now for the fun part - I have subsequently been directed by a member of BugGuide that the correct ID for my picture above is the female Band-wing Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax umbrata), not a juvenile female E. Pondhawk. With that advice I throughly researched the internet and confirmed it is a female Band-wing Dragonlet (another first for my collection).

The image will be posted in the Dragonfly index under its correct name.

Regards,
Rod (mate of 8)

Rod (mate of 8), please start a new thread! I'm really loving the dragonfly, damsel, and dragonlet pics, keep them coming!

I'm not sure what this guy had for breakfast, but it had some really long antennae! Isn't the obelisking pose cool?

Well, as noted earlier, my mate (catbird8) wants me to get my own ID, so as soon as I get that set-up I will get back to this thread and advise. Right now I am anxiously awaiting delivery of my new Canon S3-IS. Repair costs for the old one was going to be half that of getting a new one. Reviewed the S5-IS and didn't like what people were saying. The name of the one posted above should read Band-winged Dragonlet.

Do you also do butterflies?

I found this poor little damselfly on my water lily. Looks like it emerged from the larva form and one pair of wings were stuck together. I managed to unstick them, but I don't think it's able to fly. Poor thing. Left him on a flower bloom and he is gone now.

Some great photos Andy, Rod, and Rox! They are the neatest looking insects! Love those big ole' eyes! Unbelievable color combos too!

Rox - I love the pose of your dragonfly! Amazing photo! :-)

Thanks Becky!

Rod, I love to take pics of everything!

This little lady is in my bf garden....bad spider! I'll move her to another area, she's kind of pretty.

Rod, I didn't mean you should not start a new thread. If you wish to post lots of pics, it may be a good idea, the thread will be easier for you to find in the future.
My thinking was this thread is not very long. If a thread has lots of pics a new thread should be started at the 150 or 175 posts mark, this makes it easier for folks on Dial-up to view it. That's all.
Fly Girl, That is not a bad Spider, it's a Black & Yellow Argiope. They don't bite unless protecting it's young. I had a big female in the flower bed last Summer, it was fascinating to watch and provided many photo opps.
I have yet to shoot a Damsel fly, I can't get close enough.
I do get plenty of dragon, though. Here is one from last Summer on the clothesline.
Andy P

Andy, it's not that I don' tlike spiders....it's those monster webs that I don't like. I would hate to see a butterfly or dragonfly caught in one. I'll just move her over to the shady part of my yard and she'll have to make do over there.
Great dragonfly photos.

I have a huge dragonfly, I'm thinking a Dragonhunter, that will not stop long enough for me to get a photo. It is so big I thought it was a hummingbird....huge!

Ah, you mean like this?
It's part of nature.
Andy P