Can I sneak in a dragonfly?

Watch out!

Plowdaddy those pics are great!

Donna, I'll tell DH and see if I can get a 'laymans' moth book recommendation. Are you looking for something along the lines of a coffeetable book kinda like his dragonfly book? If he doesn't have a recommendation for you, it may mean that he'll have to put his own together, lol. But it will have to wait--he is currently working on a bee book that will be similar in design to the dragonfly book and will probably want to finish it first. He is not that great of a multitasker, lol.

Kenya

LOL Plowdaddy.. good shots!

Kenya.. GASP!!! No internet that's like going into a time machine to the 50's! LOL

I seem to have more dragon/damsel flies in the yard then butterflies lately although I did see a monarch today and by the time I rushed in to get the camera it was gone.

Yes Kenya a book with good color pics. I hate plates because I have to use a magnifying glass to see the detail. I have poor vision and some of those books I just can't see the markings and black and white pic are totally useless to me.

Yes Kenya a book with good color pics. I hate plates because I have to use a magnifying glass to see the detail. I have poor vision and some of those books I just can't see the markings and black and white pic are totally useless to me. If your DH makes a Moth book like the dragonfly book I will be first in line to buy it lol

Great photos everyone!

Glad this was brought back up. Stepping outside on day last week, a flash of blue and lime green caught the corner of my eye. Watched this guy peel the legs off a baby grasshopper and suck it dry. Naturally no camera in hand, but It probably wouldn't help me, can't take a close up to save my life--can't see and my hands shake. Forgive the photo, I chased him all over his territory. Real glad I have a great brug guard! ... and now you know the rest of the story, why I leave dead brug sticks.

Anyways, I heard they ate mosquitos but didn't know about grasshoppers--has anyone seen or heard this? The skeeter population had been way down due to the drought.

goodness the things we do to get a picture lol

Hi Vi...

Have to laugh as I picture you chasing the df around the yard armed with camera. If you note in my skimmer pics above they are sitting on brugs as well.

Like you I had one munching on a spider the other day and didn't have my camera. When I got the camera he had moved and I couldn't get a very clear picture of what he was munching on.

Hi Trish! Yep, good thing I don't have neighbors, I'm sure it wasn't a pretty site, lol.

Bad that they have to eat spiders, but they can eat all the grasshoppers & skeeters they like! It's mating season here, and I have lots buzzing around now. Wish I had got a shot of it's metallic blue, but I guess I'll just quit and come here to look instead!

I don't know the name of this little guy but he sure seemed friendly! :-)

Joy

And here is a photo of another friendly garden visitor.

This one would fly off the post only to return and pose in another direction for me. LOL

Thought I would resurrect this thread again as I have a new dragonfly to add to it. This guy was in the backyard today and hubby sent me into the house running to get the camera. He said that they are very difficult to get a good pic of and wanted to try. I managed to get two shots of him before he flew away, and of course, one turned out blurry. Here is the one that turned out great. He is a Wandering Glider, Pantala flavescens.

Joy--I am unsure of the name of your first dfly (will try to find it out for you), but I think your second dfly is the Flame Skimmer, Libellula saturata.

Kenya

Kenya, your wandering glider looks like he's wearing a helmet LOL great pic!

LOL, grampapa, it does doesn't it, now that you mention it! But those are just his eyes, all the better to see you with!!!! And apparently a reason that they are difficult to get a good pic of, as they have some pretty excellent vision and can see you coming with the camera from a mile away. Why this one cooperated briefly, I couldn't tell you, but it allowed me to take two pics. That was all he tolerated of me before he flew away. Thanks for the giggle and compliment. :-)

Joy--I asked hubby the expert and he believes your first dragonfly is an 8-spotted skimmer, Libellula forensis, but he cautioned me to let you know that he is not a specialist on the Western US dfly species. I'll tell you flat out that all *I* could have said about it was,"Hey, nice dragonfly!" LOL

Edited to add--It is a *male* 8-spotted skimmer.

Kenya

This message was edited Aug 19, 2006 9:47 PM

Wow, thanks to all who shared their excellent photos. I have new flying jewels to look for. All the things we miss being inside all of the time...who needs video games when you can chase real live helicopters and flying things around the yard and 'shoot' them with your camera!

Beautiful photos all...

~Sunny

While we are in the identifying mode, I have posted this picture in a different thread, asking for help. I am anxious for any help I can get.

I have matched this dragonfly with all of the main key identification points except for the yellow stigma.

Another poster asked about the relationship between dragon and damselflies but didn't catch a reply, if any.
To my knowledge they are both sub-orders of the Odonata Order. Neither is a sub-order of the other.

You can see in the attached picture that the dragonfly is eating a large fly. Another poster was amazed at what they will eat. Some of them are very fierce and will eat larger dragonflies.

Please, anyone, help me ID the attached.

Hello Catbird - your dragonfly looks like a female Neon Skimmer, Libellula croceipennis. The males are very bright red, but the females tend toward a uniform brown. Because your specimen is backlit, the stigmata appear brighter yellow than I am used to. Here is a picture of an identified female for comparison:
http://stephenville.tamu.edu/~fmitchel/dragonfly/Libellulidae/lc3sa.htm
You are also correct about the dragonflies (Anisoptera) and damselflies (Zygoptera) being suborders of Odonata. There is a possible third suborder, Anisozygoptera, but it is found only in the Orient and the Himalayan region. It looks like a dragonfly, but has a head like a damselfly and hold it's wings back over its body like a damselfly. This gives the experts headaches - they can't agree on what it is.

ALLLL RIGHT!!! I believe you have nailed down my problem bug. The differences in my specimen are probably due to recent emergence. I have noticed a trend in dragonflies to darken in just a couple of days. The stigma would most likely go to orange. And, notice the slight pink cast on the legs of my specimen. I can only hope that none of my future questionable finds will be a difficult to resolve as this one has been.

Thanks for your help, and best regards, Rod (mate of catbird8)