Male Widow Skimmer
As with most gender-inspired species names, the names don't actually change with the gender, so this is a male Widow Skimmer and not a Widower Skimmer [1]. These are 1 of my favorite dragonflies : They'll perch so you can get a picture most of the time. The males are very distinctive with wings that are black near the base and (as they get older) with white patches before going translucent near the ends [2]. White pruinose on the abdomen is also frequently present as they get older, though not in the individual below. Though far from a griffinfly , they're big enough to spot if you're looking for this sort of animal. June 13, 2023 at Washington Valley Park Photo 300987064, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] Similarly, male Painted Lady and American Lady butterflies are not called Painted Gentlemen and American Gentlemen. [2] Despite their distinctiveness, I'm pretty sure I originally would confuse them with the Common Whitetail .