Amber Waves of Dragonflies

Okay, maybe it's a stretch to consider Eastern Amberwing dragonflies of waving at you, though their wings do beat at a rapid rate. 

These are considered to be the 2nd smallest dragonfly in the country behind a dragonfly I've never seen despite NJ being part of its range, the Elfin Skimmer. (There are other odonates like some bluet and sprite damselflies that are of similar length and probably less mass though.)

Only the males have that distinctive amber coloring. (Like with many odonates (and some birds) I might not recognize the less distinctive females unless I also saw the males around. Here are a couple of these guys I met last summer.)

July 28, 2021 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 148654062, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

July 28, 2021 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 148654237, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)



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