Slaty Skimmers

local time : 4:16 pm
Cordova, Memphis

Slaty Skimmer (bluish) | male

i add here two photographs of adult Slaty Skimmers (Libellula incesta).
now the question is: gender!

interestingly.. what i have noticed.. the adult males of this species come in two different shades. more bluish and more purplish. don't know the reason, but adding the other one too.. for comparison.

 interesting is the fact that i found both the 'types' sitting on the same perch (as you can see in the photographs).. obviously, at the same place then.. but in a gap of more than one month! the first photograph was taken on 14th August, 2012.. and the second, on 6th July, 2012!

Slaty Skimmer (purplish) | male or female?

or could it be two different species? after all, Bar-winged Skimmers also look quite alike..
though, i still believe, both the subjects added here, are Slaty Skimmers (Libellula incesta) only.

this species, Slaty Skimmer, can be found in the eastern part of United States. the females have yellow-brown stripes. flight season: May to October.

some sources say, the purplish one is adult female. and the striped one, juvenile. which makes me more confused!

PS: both the photographs are taken using my Canon PowerShot SX40 HS. editing: CS5.

Blue Dasher (female)

local time: 10:33 am
Cordova, Memphis

female Blue Dasher

when i had started with Blue Dasher males, i had no idea how the females looked like. and when i found this dragonfly, and had to get its ID... i got to know it was a female Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis).
till then no problem :)

this particular dragonfly was perching in a small wood near the lake in our residential complex. she had chosen a perch where the golden light of our about-to-set Mr Sun had fallen... now don't know whether it was a coincidence or the dragonfly preferred that light amongst the shadows made by some huge trees...

this photograph was taken on 26th July, 2012... at 7:09 pm. here, sun sets around 8 pm... so, 7 pm is not evening. enough sunlight is available then.
i was out on a walk when i got see this new dragonfly (then). it was glowing! i hope i could capture that feel. the photograph was taken using my Canon PowerShot SX40 HS. a little bit editing then using CS5.

Halloween Pennant (female)

local time: 1:34 am
Cordova, Memphis

Halloween Pennant (female)

found this dragonfly on 25th July, 2012. the shot was taken at 7:22 pm, using my Canon PowerShot SX40 HS. it was a bit cloudy and the Sun was about to set. had to shoot, hence, in low light. the dragonfly was at far, the grasses on which she was perching were also not still due to continuous wind. but managed some details. happy for that.
yes, i found this dragonfly in my 'treasure island'. it was my first sighting of this dragonfly. well, may be had seen before, but not noticed..

Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina) is a North American dragonfly (central & east) which belongs to the family 'Libellulidae'. Libellulidae is the family of Skimmers and is the LARGEST dragonfly family in the world.

the average size of this dragonfly is 30-42 mm.

Halloween Pennant basically lives around ponds, marshes and lakes and often perched on weedy stems.

i too, found this dragonfly besides a pond and in a marshland.

this is basically a Florida dragonfly :)
also abundant in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and New Mexico.

Blue-fronted Dancer (male)

local time: 5:21
Cordova, Memphis

Blue-fronted Dancer (male)

this is a damselfly which i can find at least one on everyday, if i want. this gorgeous odonata is not much rare here. 'here' means the residential complex where i live now. the complex has got a huge lake (17 acres) and if searched, this species of damselfly can surely be found around it. well why not? Blue-fronted Dancer (Argia apicalis) belongs to the family 'Coenagrionidae', which is the family of Pond Damsels.

this photograph was taken on 17th June, 2012. at 1:02 pm. using my Canon PowerShot SX40 HS. a finishing touch was given using CS5. the BG here is the jogging trail.

Blue Dasher (male)

local time: 9:56 am
Cordova, Memphis

Blue Dasher (male)

i found this beautiful dragonfly almost a month back during a walk along the lovely jogging trail of our residential complex in Cordova, Memphis.

it was 16th June, 2012, to be specific. and was 6:39 pm when i took this shot. i remember i saw a big black squirrel on that day.. at the same place where i had seen this dragonfly. it's a small wood in our residential complex. near to the lake. that was my first sighting of a squirrel here; and that big! i also had seen a new bird there. on that day only. a Brown Thrasher.

anyway, lets come to the point. when i took this shot i had no idea of its ID. got to know it later. the dragonfly was a bit far. had to zoom a lot to get him. golden light of the setting Sun was falling on him. he looked marvelous.. the greenish BG comes from the lake.

this particular perch is a favourite. to this dragonfly and some others. i found this dragonfly (Blue Dasher male.. may be the same one or a similar) perching there many times on other days.

Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis) belongs to the family 'Libellulidae'... which is the family of Skimmers.