kelseebratley
Common Whitetail Dragonfly (Libellula lydia)
I found this dragonfly oddly hovering very slowly from bike to bike outside of my apartment patio, to the point to where I could easily grab it. I believe it's the Libellula lydia, or as it's more commonly known, the Common Whitetail Dragonfly. The Libellula lydia is prevalent throughout most of North America; however, it's particularly found near bodies of water such as, marshes and slow moving rivers. The dragonfly pictured above is an immature male, and this is noted by its thin brown body and single striped wings. A mature Libellula lydia male is distinguishable by having a thick white tail and single striped wings. Throughout my research I found that the males of this species are actually very territorial and can have anywhere from a 10 to 30 meter span of land they patrol. I can only wonder, considering it's odd hovering behavior, if this male was in fact protecting it's territory? Or perhaps, may have even been showing signs of another behavior like mating or even death? If anyone has an idea, or possible additional information about this behavior I'd love to know more.
Common Whitetail Dragonfly (Libellula lydia)
I found this dragonfly oddly hovering very slowly from bike to bike outside of my apartment patio, to the point to where I could easily grab it. I believe it's the Libellula lydia, or as it's more commonly known, the Common Whitetail Dragonfly. The Libellula lydia is prevalent throughout most of North America; however, it's particularly found near bodies of water such as, marshes and slow moving rivers. The dragonfly pictured above is an immature male, and this is noted by its thin brown body and single striped wings. A mature Libellula lydia male is distinguishable by having a thick white tail and single striped wings. Throughout my research I found that the males of this species are actually very territorial and can have anywhere from a 10 to 30 meter span of land they patrol. I can only wonder, considering it's odd hovering behavior, if this male was in fact protecting it's territory? Or perhaps, may have even been showing signs of another behavior like mating or even death? If anyone has an idea, or possible additional information about this behavior I'd love to know more.