Aug. 14, 2016 - Dragonflies

The great majority of my photos are of birds but I do take some other photos as well. Here are some Dragonfly pictures (plus one Damselfly) from this summer.

The Chalk-fronted Corporal has two white areas on its body. The part near its head is separated into two stripes. The US Army insignia for a Corporal has two stripes and I’m assuming that was the inspiration for this insect’s name. Another identifying feature of the Chalk-fronted Corporal is the small, dark, triangular spots on the hind wings next to the body. Chalk-fronted Corporals are about 1.6 inches in length. This photo was taken at our home in northern Minnesota.

DragonflyCorporalChalkfrontedLadonajuliaDunningLakeItascaCounty20160617

When Calico Pennants start hatching, our yard seems to be full of them. The yellow heart-shaped spots on the body and the black spots with yellow veins on the wings indicate this is either a female or a juvenile. Adult males have red spots on the body and brown wing spots with red veins. They are about 1.2 inches in length.

DragonflyPennantCalicoCelithemiselisaDunningLakeItascaCounty20160611

Usually I like to photograph dragonflies from the top; it’s easier to get the whole insect in focus. However, this angle is also interesting. This is an Eastern Amberwing and the photo was taken at Silverwood Park near our office in New Brighton, MN. This is a small dragonfly, only 0.9 inches long.

DragonflyAmberwingEasternPerithemisteneraSilverwoodParkAnthony20160718

Another dragonfly seen at our home is this Frosted Whiteface. You can’t see the white face in this photo but the mostly-clear wings, the black and yellow spots on the hind wings, and the white area on the body is enough to identify this insect. It’s about 1.4 inches long.

DragonflyWhitefaceFrostedLeucorrhiniafrigidaDunningLakeItascaCounty20160715

The Twelve-spotted Skimmer is a pretty spectacular looking dragonfly. This is a male; the female doesn’t have the white spots. So, by only counting the black spots, which appear on both sexes, you do get 12 spots. Twelve-spotted Skimmers are 2 inches long. This photo was also taken at Silverwood Park.

SkimmerTwelvespottedLibellulapulchellaSilverwoodParkAnthony20160718

This last photo isn’t a dragonfly; it’s an Eastern Forktail damselfly. The orange color indicates this is a young female. She will turn bluish-gray as she ages. A male would be green instead of orange. This photo was also taken at our home. Because they are so thin, damselflies always look tiny. However, this one is 1.2 inches long, comparable to the dragonflies above.

DamselflyForktailEasternfemaleIschnuraverticalisDunningLakeItascaCounty20160710