Widow Skimmers

Let's show you 3 Widow Skimmers today, all taken on the same day at the same place. The first picture is almost certainly a female; there's no trace of white bordering the basal black of the wings, and no sign of pruinose on the abdomen. (Apparently some females develop some pruinose later in life, though I'm not sure I've encountered one like that.)

July 23, 2021 at the Plainsboro Preserve
Photo 148592086, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

The second picture is clearly a male. You can see the white that basically borders the basal black on the wings, and the abdomen has enough pruinose that it looks nothing like the female abdomen. Many times I see even more white on the abdomen, so this guy may be on the young side but is at least a young adult.

July 23, 2021 at the Plainsboro Preserve
Photo 148592166, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

The third picture is of a younger male. You can see the white bordering the basal black of the wings, but the abdomen doesn't look at all white. He may not be able to challenge the first male for breeding privileges yet, but maybe soon he will.

July 23, 2021 at the Plainsboro Preserve
Photo 148592603, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)



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