The Femme Fatales P1/A2
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Thank you most kindly for stopping by to view my work.
If you find you have a few words to say about what I have done they will be much appreciated.
My best regards to you.... Martin
A loaded TXU coal train splits the searchlights at the west end of Halls on the BNSF St Joe Sub. The searchlights have disappeared quick on this sub and there only a few left, now.
Lacking variety of species, I've been going for background and perches with skimmers and dashers. To get gray, I've looked for rock rather than water behind the subject (though much of the swamp's water is green). I usually have to go to different parts of the large pond than I would for damselflies, and that was the case here where, after a few years of paying attention, I find that the Blue Dasher loves horsetail grass as a perch. It had been almost 10 days since seeing one, but here he was, spanking new from the looks and color of him.
The blue dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) is a dragonfly of the skimmer family. It is the only species in the genus Pachydiplax. It is very common and widely distributed through North America, and certainly loves this part of northern California. Blue dashers live near still, calm bodies of water, such as ponds, marshes, slow-moving waterways, and ditches, in warm areas typically at low elevations. The adults roost in trees at night.
These dragonflies, like others of their infraorder, are carnivorous, and are capable of eating hundreds of insects every day, including mosquito and mayfly larvae. The adult dragonfly will eat nearly any flying insect, such as a moth or fly. Nymphs have a diet that includes other aquatic larvae, small fish, and tadpoles.These dragonflies are known to be voracious predators, consuming up to 10% of their body weight each day in food. I know this is some old information, but as old and interesting as Odonates are, I'm limited in information and my personal memory may be reaching the point where I have to pay Mother Nature for a continued subscription (as seems to be the case with everything else nowadays).