prehistoric looking critter
Here is a real ugly critter. It resemble a grasshopper, but has ridges down his back and is almost black. He was sitting on the side of on of the support beams of the dock of our lake. Can you identify him for me? I looked in all of my reference books under grasshoppers and crickets and was unable to find him. If you need some more pictures, I can send them to you. The white strings on his back look like atrophied wings to me, but I might be mistaken. I was flat on the dock trying to aim the camera below me for these shots. Thanks for your help.
Margrit
Hi Margrit,
A Naiad crawled out of the lake, split its skin and flew away as an adult Dragonfly.
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Posted 09 July 2005
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eating
I think this is an Eastern Pondhawk female devouring a Ruby Meadowhawk- at least all the other Meadowhawks around were Ruby Meadowhawks. I never seem the see males with prey- are they less voracious or just less conspicuous? thanks- i just discovered your wonderful site.
Pam Burtt
Wow Pam,
What a great photo. We have always been under the impression that females of the species were better hunters.
3 pics
Hi! I’m in Florida and I have 3 pictures I have questions about. One is of a large dragonfly with something near the end of its tail. What is it?… And last, but not least…..I think you know what I’m going to ask :0) Thanks!
Jaime
So Jaime,
Your big dragonfly is a Twelve-Spot Skimmer, Libellula pulchella, but the object on its abdomen is not clear enough to identify. Dragonflies are often plagued by mites, but this looks a little large for that. Sometimes Psuedoscorpions hitch rides on flying insects, a phenomenon known as phoresy. Sadly, we just can’t be sure. You want to know how Damselflies Do It. The male grasps the female around the neck with pincers he possesses on the tip of his abdomen. She then twists around with her abdomen to accept the sperm. Many species of Damselflies stay in this position while the eggs are laid, with the female depositing the eggs underwater. I’m sure the extra pairs of wings help to lift her back into the air after an egg has been laid. This is such a wonderful addition to our brand new Bug Love page.
Correction: Sat, Feb 21, 2009 at 3:11 AM
Good morning,
If I may, the first pics shows a female of Prince Baskettail (Epitheca princeps) and the things at the end of the abdmen are eggs. It is a distinctive behavior of the genus Epitheca, the female expluse eggs, with the abdomen croooked, that accumulate outside the abdomen. When there is enough eggs the female take flight and tip the mass of eggs into the water.
The second pic show what are Orange Bluets (Enallagma signatum), in this case the little things on the abdomen are indeed Acarian bugs.
Renaud, Switzerland
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Posted 06 July 2005
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(no subject)
We saw this today by the river in Chattanooga, Tennessee. What is it???
Tammy Miller
Hi Tammy,
This is truly an awesome photograph of Dragonfly Metamorphosis. The nymph or naiad, the immature Dragonfly lives underwater. When it is ready to become an adult, it climbs onto the ground, usually on a twig or branch, and splits its skin. The winged adult emerges and after its wings have expanded and hardened, it flies away.
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Posted 05 July 2005
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dragonfly
I don’t think you would be able to positively ID this dragonfly or can you? Just thought I’d share this metamorphoses with you and your visitors. Great Job,
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Your photo is stunning, the second Dragonfly Metamorphosis photo in two days. Actually yours came in first but due to the disorganized manner in which we post, the other image went live first. We especially like the fact that the gnat in your photo is unsuspecting that when the Dragonfly can fly, it might become dinner. Your are right, we cannot positively identify your dragonfly, but we believe it to be a Darner because of the clear wings.
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Posted 04 July 2005
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Another Dragonfly
Hi,
Can you help identify this Dragonfly?
Christian
Hi Christian,
This is a female Twelve Spot Skimmer, Libellula pulchella. The male has whitish areas between spots and the females wings are clear between spots. It ranges over most of the U.S. and often rests on lily pads and vegetation overhanging the water.
Update (01/29/2006)
odonata
Hi, my name is Larry Hamrin. While researching dragonflies, I came across your site. I don’t consider myself an expert at identifying dragonflies, but I would like to comment on some of the dragonflies on your website. There is a dragonfly you identify as a 12 spotted skimmer. This does not look like any 12 spot I’ve ever seen, or can find on other websites. The amber coloration and spot pattern at the base of the wings are not consistent with other photos I’ve seen. Don’t know what it is but here is one I photographed. The female 12 spot and the female common whitetail are often confused.
Thank you for your time
Larry Hamrin
Correction: Sat, Feb 21, 2009 at 3:23 AM
Good morning,
If I may, as Larry pointed it, 12 spotted skimmer doesnt have amber patches on the wings.
This one is a Painted Skimmer (Libellula semifasciata).
I hope this helps,
Renaud, Switzerland
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Posted 04 July 2005
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Help please
I have looked all over your site and others that are linked but haven’t been able to figure out what this critter is. This photo was mailed to me and I am told that the bug measured about two inches by one inch. It appears to be just a skeleton found on a board covering the crawl space to a camp in the Adirondack Mtns. Thanks for any insight you can provide.
Thomas Smith
Hi Thomas,
This is the shed skin from the final moult of a Dragonfly Naiad. Naiads live under water. They moult several times to fascilitate growth since the exoskeleton cannot grow. At the time of the final moult, the Naiad climbs out of the water and sheds its skin, becoming a winged adult. This Naiad might be from a Common Skimmer based on the shape of the abdomen.
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Posted 03 July 2005
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Dragonfly pictures
Hi!
I just got a new camera and have been taking all kinds of pictures (especially of dragonflies…MY FAVORITE!) Is there anything interesting you can tell me about any of these dragonflies? I love your website, by the way!
Jaime
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| Blue Dasher |
Green Clearwing |
Hi Jaime,
Your photos are great. I see you are mastering that new camera. We have identified two of your dragonflies. One is a Green Darner, Anax junius, also known as the Snake Doctor or Darning Needle. It is one of the fastest and biggest of the common dragonflies. The thorax is green and abdomen blue or sometimes gray. The compound eyes are often the color of milk chocolate. The Green Clearwing, Erythemis simplicicollis, has a bright green face and thorax with a green abdomen spotted with brown. It frequently rests on bare earth as your photo proves. We will try to identify your other dragonflies when time allows. Though we do not own this book, we have others in the series and can highly recommend it: Dragonflies Through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America (Butterflies and Others Through Binoculars Field Guide Series) by Sidney W. Dunkle
Update (01/29/2006)
odonata
Hi, my name is Larry Hamrin. While researching dragonflies, I came across your site. I don’t consider myself an expert at identifying dragonflies, but I would like to comment on some of the dragonflies on your website. The dragonfly you identify as a green darner looks like an immature Blue Dasher. By immature I mean a dragonfly after it has emerged but before it has aquired its fully adult coloration. Actually a freshly emerged dragonfly is refered to as ” teneral”, so it’s really between teneral and fully matured Here is a website with a blue dasher where the dragonfly is refered to as immature. The male will have a coloration somewhat like a female at first, then change to its normal color as it gets older.
Thank you for your time
Larry Hamrin
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Posted 23 June 2005
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Dragonfly
Hello,
We live in NYC, and last night we found this Dragonfly out in the hallway of our building. We would like to know what kind of dragonfly it is. What do these dragonflies eat? Also, how long do they live? Thank you for your help.
Christian
Hi Christian,
We believe your dragonfly is a is most likely a Hero Swamp Darner, Epiaeschna heros. They are HUGE. Adults eat small insects caught in flight. They help to control mosquitos. They will only live one season.
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Posted 09 June 2005
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Common skimmer?
Hi folks,
Just found your wonderful site today whilst searching for an identification of a bug my mother took a picture of. She called it a "butterfly" much to my amusement, but upon searching the net, I have been able to identify it as some kind of skimmer, but I haven’t been able to find that much info on this family of dragonfly. Can you help us out? I live in Southwestern BC.
Thanks very much!
Shannon
Hi Shannon,
Your dragonfly looks like a female White Tail, Plathemis lydia. The male has a gleaming white abdomen, but the female’s is brown with rows of yellow spots. The wings of both have broad dark band near the tip and a small black area at the base. It ranges from Nova Scotia to Florida and west to California , and north to British Columbia.
Update (01/29/2006)
odonata
Hi, my name is Larry Hamrin. While researching dragonflies, I came across your site. I don’t consider myself an expert at identifying dragonflies, but I would like to comment on some of the dragonflies on your website. The dragonfly you identify as a female common whitetail looks to me to be a young male without the purinose coating. I identified as a male based on wing pattern. The male has a white tail because of a waxy like coating it aquires with age. The coating covers the markings on the abdomen. An immature white tail would not have this coating. Here is a website that shows an immature white tail. This is a phtograph of a female Common White Tail.
Thank you for your time
Larry Hamrin
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Posted 06 June 2005
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damselflies
I discovered your wonderful website today and would like your help confirming or correcting my ID of these two damselflies. I photographed them April 4, 2005 in the desert about 1/4 mile east of Topock Marsh, Mohave County, Arizona. I initially identified them as male and female Vivid Dancers – Argia vivida.
Thank you,
Phil Bleicher
Hi Phil,
Though your photos are very nice, we are not prepared to give more than a possible agreement to your identification. Many species of insects, including Damselflies, need close specimen examination to make a positive identification. This often involves dissection of sexual organs or exact wing veinage assesment. The Vivid Dancer, Argia vivida, is common in the west.
Correction: Sat, Feb 21, 2009 at 3:28 AM
Good morning,
If I may, this is a species of the genus Enallagma (Bluet).
I hope this helps,
Renaud, Switzerland
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Posted 12 May 2005
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How does a dragonfly nymph fly?
Hi,
I was pottering around in the backyard, when I noticed a dragonfly nymph flitting about. A long time ago, I read that the dragonfly is one of only two insects (the other is the hawk moth ) that can’t close its wings once they open out. So the natural question is how does the nymph fly without the wings opened out? I’ve uploaded a photo of the dragonfly nymph, or what I think is a dragonfly nymph.
Thanks,
Shastri
Hi Shastri
First I will answer your question. Dragonfly nymphs do not fly. They are immature, wingless and live under the water. Adult Dragonflies cannot fold their wings. Your photo is of a close relative known as a Damselfly. Damselflies can be distinguised from Dragonflies by the fact that they can fold their wings. Thanks for the photo.
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Posted 13 March 2005
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