Widow Skimmer

Here's another Widow Skimmer I met. With no white on the wing or tail (pruinose), it's presumably a female.

She is a member of the skimmer dragonfly family, considered to be the largest dragonfly family, though some members of the family have surnames like Whitetail, Pondhawk, Meadowhawk, etc. This family generally exhibits sexual dimorphism, frequently due to pruinosity. 

Don't be confused by the picture. If that was a bee or butterfly, it's likely that we'd be witnessing a pollinator at work. But for the predatory Widow Skimmer, this is just a place to perch.

July 14 at Duke Farms


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