Monday, August 13, 2012

Dragonflies

Nothing says summer like
dragonflies.

Common Whitetail
(Plathemis lydia)
Dragonflies are usually found near ponds and wet areas, and thanks to a pond not too far away, I have seen quite a few of these beautiful creatures in my garden.

Eastern Pondhawk
(Erythemis simplicicollis)
Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the water as a nymph form - anywhere from two months to five years, depending on the species.  When the nymph is full grown and the days become warmer, the nymph climbs out of the water to shed its skin and transform into a dragonfly.

Blue Dasher
(Pachydiplax longipennis)
These beautiful winged insects are not only reminiscent of childhood magic and lazy summer days, but they are also very helpful to have in the garden - they can eat large amounts of gnats and mosquitoes.

Common Baskettail
(Epitheca cynosura)
Fossils of ancient dragonfly-like insects show that some had a wingspan of over two feet (60 cm)!   The largest present day dragonfly is the Asian Tetracanthagyna plagiata, whose female can have a wingspan of around 6.5 inches (165 mm).   

Widow Skimmer
(Libellula luctuosa)
Here at the Red House Garden, the dragonflies tend to be more in the 1 to 3 inch range.  They often perch on my taller plants or places where they can survey the surrounding area for smaller bugs to hunt.

Blue Corporal
(Ladona deplanata)
My favorite dragonflies in the garden are the gorgeous little orange Eastern Amberwings that like to hover around my daughters' wildflower garden. 

Eastern Amberwing
(Perithemis tenera)
I love having these summer beauties in the garden.


19 comments:

  1. Some stunning shots, Indie! Love the amberwing and widow skimmer. LT

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  2. This orange dragonfly is pretty! I always thought why are their eyes so spherical, what do they see and how?

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  3. Beautiful photographs, unusual views of the nature. I am greeting

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  4. Really nice captures, Indie. You found many varieties too. When I see them, they are usually all the same kind because the males are so territorial. The photos are so clear and I like the way you made them into a mosaic panel.

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  5. Beautiful photos and I like all the information :)

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  6. some wonderful and detailed images you have captured!

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  7. Indie how amazing capturing so many different kinds of dragonflies...i have lots in the garden as well because of the pond, but have lacked the time to really survey them. I hope to do that more as they are so magical and I love the colors and postions they assume around the garden. Thanks for such wonderful inspiration.

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  8. Great captures Indie! I love the detail and lighting in your shots. You are fortunate to have so many varieties. I love the amberwings too!

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  9. An ancient dragonfly with a two foot wing span actually might be a bit scary. In their present day size however, I find them beautiful, especially their wings. I did not realize they ate mosquitoes. Now, I wish I had even more of them in my garden!

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  10. Indie,
    Great job on this posting! And all the IDs are correct!

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  11. How incredible that you had that many different types of dragonflies in your garden, Indie! Your photos are excellent and thanks for all the information. Dragonflies are probably the only big bug that can fly right at me or land on me and I don''t freak out. They are peaceful and beautiful.

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  12. Butterflies were ubiquitous when I lived in New Orleans, but I don't recall seeing them in Santa Fe. It must be the dry weather. Your photos are beautiful.

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  13. Hi Indie. Oh what fabulous closeups. Great camera work.I love seeing all of those little details of the dragonflies.

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  14. Gorgeous photos, Indie! I love dragonflies; as you say, they remind me of fairies and all things magical. We've had quite a few in recent weeks, which is surprising because it has been so dry, and I don't have a pond. But we have no shortage of mosquitoes--they can eat all they want of those:)

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  15. Got to love the fighter pilots of the bug world.

    I take pics but gave up trying to identify them. I'm dragonfly clueless so it takes way too long and any identification I make is questionable. Besides, I've got too many mushrooms on my plate right now.

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  16. Huge fan of dragonflies and damselflies--because they're beautiful and they eat mosquitoes! Check out this nifty site: http://on.doi.gov/85LSR. You caught some wonderful shots of these beauties!

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  17. Yes, dragonflies make summers special. You photographed them beautifully. The Eastern Amberwing is my favourite. I wish we had those here.

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  18. I've been rather obsessed with taking pictures of dragonflies this summer - they are so beautiful! Some dragonflies are almost curious, as well, and will come pretty close to me. (For some reason this always happens in a nearby grocery store parking lot. There have been several buzz-by incidents where dragonflies have almost run into me!) I'm glad other people agreed with the ID's. I'm not as sure about dragonfly species as I am with the butterflies in my garden.

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