Blue Dashers are one of the most abundant dragonflies in the U.S. and can be found near slow moving water sources, marshes and ponds. Which is exactly what this dragonfly did. From this perch, the males periodically fly over the pond and chase other males. Her abdomen is black with yellow stripes along the sides and top. This portion of the dragonfly life cycle can take up to four years to complete, and if the nymph cycle is completed in the beginning of the wintertime, it will remain in the water until spring when it is warm enough to come out. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). She takes flight. Nymphs feed on freshwater invertebrates, tadpoles and even small fish. Each dragonfly nymph sheds its ugly husk, and exchanges it for a beautiful winged body. Now that I know one species, I will be on the lookout for more. This species is abundant across much of the United States. Thank goodness. Red maple baby leaves. Its head, though, is a lively blue/green and its thorax is beautifully striped. It does make me wonder if they migrate like the birds or maybe like some butterflies, overwinter under bark or rolled up in leaf litter. The temperature was in the upper 40’s ℉. Prey includes insect larvae, crustaceans, worms, snails, leeches, tadpoles and small fish. Juvenile Blue Dashers are not blue yet. Stokes Beginner’s Guide to Dragonflies by Blair Nikula, Jacke Sones, and Donald and Lillian Stokes, covers over 100 common species of dragonflies and damselflies. Perchers, in the dragonfly world, perch horizontally on shoreline shrubs and vegetation, many times high up from the ground. Blue Dasher Dragonfly Dragonflies are ancient animals that date back to before the time of dinosaurs. Princeton University Press, 2009. The Blue Dasher is one of the species of dragonflies that appears to migrate. I have seen these same insects acting more or less the same—alternately basking and hunting—on days when the temperature was well over 100℉. I have just written a Children’s Book about the Blue Dasher Dragonfly. Isolated dragonfly on white background ... Blue Dasher Dragonfly 803527 803527. Of course we don’t see dragonflies zooming around all winter in subzero temperatures. Most of the information on this website is free for you to read, watch, or listen to. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Click on an image below to view the image at a larger size. Anisoptera (dragonflies) Zygoptera (damselflies) Diverse; 5952 species globally . The blue dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) is a dragonfly of the skimmer family. Not only can they beat up and down, but all four wings can move independently. The dragonfly nymphs feed on aquatic larvae, small fish, and tadpoles. The Blue Dasher is also called the Blue Pirate. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West (Princeton Field Guides) by Dennis Paulson. Their heads contain their large eyes which take on a metallic sheen in certain lighting. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides) by Dennis Paulson. Metamorphosis of River Clubtail dragonfly. Dragonfly fact No. Dragonflies are predators (hunt their prey), both in their aquatic nymph (larval) stage, and as adults. Dragonflies and their relatives are an ancient group with the oldest fossils of 325 Mya from the Protodonata of Upper Carboniferous of Europe. When it's ready, a dragonfly nymph crawls out of the water, splits its back open, and emerges as an adult. Its range stretches across North America from British Columbia to Ontario, south (except for the Rockies and Dakotas) to California and Florida, with scenic side-trips into Mexico, the Bahamas, and Belize. I hope you find my website useful. Sean at thesanguineroot.com. And dragonfly nymphs are voracious eaters, with mosquito larvae on their menu. Females and immature males have brown thoraxes with yellow stripes and reddish-brown eyes. The males and the females look quite different. The dragonfly must shoot water out of the rectum which creates the jet propulsion under water. For more than twenty years I've been wandering the woods and waterways of Saratoga County, New York, looking closely, listening carefully. Seeing beat up butterflies and other insects always makes me wonder what they have been through and where they have been. I like seeing butterflies and dragonflies who are a bit bedraggled. The Blue-eyed Darner (Rhionaeschna multicolor) is an extremely pretty and colorful specimen generally found in North America. I spotted many Blue Dashers around a body of standing water (a pond in this case) with some vegetation. Just look at some of these photos. It is the only species in the genus Pachydiplax. May 28 - June 25. Compared to dragonfly larvae, damselfly nymphs have longer abdomens with feather-like gills protruding from their ends. I think the expelling of the water is what also gives the rectum functions as jet propulsion under water. Females are recognized by the narrow yellow parallel stripes on the abdomen. In the book Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East, Dennis Paulson calls the nymph rectum a “multipurpose organ” and a “miraculous rectum”. Quads E5 (nymphs), F5, D6, D7. The males have a favorite perch which serves as their headquarters. The wings can also rotate like an airplane propeller. Thanks for visiting. Native Plants of Pennsylvania – Links and Plant Lists, Books about Native Plants and Ecological Gardening, Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides), Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West (Princeton Field Guides), Dragonflies & Damselflies: An Introduction to Familiar, Widespread North American Species (North American Nature Guides), Cavity Nesters: Birds that Use Holes in Trees, A Chipmunk's Winter Sleep (Torpor and Hibernation), A Winter Bird Feeding Guide: Attract Birds to Your Backyard (with Video), Virginia Opossum Facts, Lifespan, and Habitat, Winter Birding: How to Master It (with video), Why Trees Shed Leaves in the Fall with a Video. Apparently, “longipennis” means “long-winged”. Blue dasher 5. A fungus called "Dead Man's Fingers" -- or is Mickey Mouse reaching up from his grave? Learn more here. helped me with the story line! It must have been one of those “old-timey” Popeye era ones. I only recommend products and services that I use and believe to be useful and high quality. But with effective compound eyes, it can keep away from the predators and escape smoothly. Adults have four wings with two noticeable dark streaks in them. Preferred breeding habitats are bogs and marshy ponds. A common American dragonfly is the Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis), a dragonfly that belongs to the skimmer family. The first instar is known as a prolarva, a relatively inactive stage from which it quickly moults into the more active nymphal form. Dragonfly Adults in Flight (Suborder: Anisoptera) Dragonfly Adults (Suborder: Anisoptera) Damselfly Adults (Suborder: Zygoptera) Dragonfly Nymphs (Suborder: Anisoptera) Damselfly Nymphs (Suborder: Zygoptera) A quick note about permissions. The larval stage can last anywhere from one to six years. Before the rains came to break the long dry spell, the Bear Creek Marsh had gone dry, leaving an unhappy young Common Snapping Turtle ( Chelydra serpentina ) stranded in the drying mud. The rectum is also the end of the digestive track and performs the usually waste disposal actions. I do sell inexpensive nature guides in the Book Shop. Dragonflies breathe through gills in their rectum. Actually, they’re around all year long, but if you’re looking to the skies to find ‘em in cold months, you’re looking in the wrong place. After being deposited in the water, dragonfly eggs hatch into nymphs (underwater larvae), which grow and eat other aquatic insects and tiny … A small blue dragonfly with a white face, a black tip to the abdomen, and a black-and-yellow-striped thorax. It is the males who have the black-tipped blue abdomens, white faces and metallic green eyes. The extraordinary lives of dragonflies proves to me that no matter how much humans think we know, we really don’t know very much at all. Probably, it’s both. It was hot but I was fascinated. The known 6,000 species of dragonflies are completely aquatic, except for a few semi-aquatic kinds, before they mature into winged adults that stay near the freshwater ponds, marshes, lakes, streams, or rivers from which their nymphs emerged. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. They go … Since then, I have been fascinated by dragonflies. How very interesting!!! The look as if they have led interesting and action-filled lives. There are over 3000 species of dragonflies living today. The Blue Dasher dragonfly’s dark blue abdomen gets paler as the summer wears on. Large dragonfly. I really enjoyed getting to know this dragonfly through your blog. Authored By Staff Writer; Content ©www.InsectIdentification.org. Blueberries ripen in June. Some dragonfly nymphs also eat much larger prey, like small fish, tadpoles, and other aquatic critters. They have green and yellow stripes on the thorax and yellow dashes along the side of the abdomen, much like adult females. Her wings do not contain the aforementioned streaks and their abdomens are stubbier. Dragonflies can fly up, down, backwards, forwards and hover in midair. The Privacy Policy is here. It flies a minimum speed of 18 to 35 mph. No longer a water-breather. Females lay their eggs on plant matter on the surface of the water; and within 35 seconds they can lay up to 700 eggs! Information on this website is free for you to read, watch, or listen to and most worldwide. 325 Mya from the predators and escape smoothly yellow parallel stripes on the abdomen, much like adult females a. Water ( a pond common American dragonfly is the only species in the so. Each hindwing and burrowers an animated dragonfly as a fighter pilot is one of those old-timey. 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