Aircraft: Bombardier Q Series
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The Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) is a dragonfly of the skimmer family. It is common and widely distributed in the United States.
Mature males develop a bluish-white pruinescence on the back of the abdomen and, in western individuals, on the thorax. They display this pruinescence to other males as a threat while defending territories at the edge of the water.
Although the species name longipennis means "long wings", the wings are not substantially longer than those of related species. Females do, however, have a short abdomen that makes the wings appear longer in comparison.
Los Angeles. California.
A White Squirrel decides to take his dinner (walnut) up to the safety of a tree. This one has a dirty nose from rooting around on the ground to find this walnut.
Dragonflies are, like most things, predator and prey. They are predators in their nymph stage, eating what they can capture in the water, and primarily insects as adults. Most of their life is spent in various nymph stages, lasting from months to years depending on the species. As the dragonflies that we see flying around, their life is short, up to five weeks for most species although I read that some species may live as adults for a few months and others for only a few days. I found this interesting from Wikipedia: 'There is also conflict between the males and females. Females may sometimes be harassed by males to the extent that it affects their normal activities including foraging and in some dimorphic species females have evolved multiple forms with some forms appearing deceptively like males. In some species females have evolved behavioral responses such as feigning death to escape the attention of males.' Males, can't live with them, can't live without them....
This one I believe is a Blue Dasher. (Pachydiplax longipennis)
This male was spotted and photographed by my wife Beatrice, while perched on a car antenna in the parking lot of McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area in Poolesville, Maryland.
Post-processing by me.
Just back from "the Swamp." Nothing, nada, nil, zero, zip. Soooo. one of my last Blue Dashers in 2019. I thought I might need it for a lull, but didn't figure the lull would be as early as the last two weeks in August in northern California. I must say he was a beauty, as fresh as if he had emerged in May or June, this species prime time in this part of the state.
San Juan Reservoir in Natomas, Sacramento. May 2018.
This is the place I saw the rare sinuous snaketail, BTW.
The blue dasher is an insect of the skimmer family. It is very common and widely distributed through North America and into the Bahamas.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.
Wikipedia
taken July 18, 2007
@my past garden
from old photo album
the blue colour flower is typical Japanese rainy season wild flower..
Wikipedia: Brachydiplax chalybea is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is known by the common names yellow-patched lieutenant, rufous-backed marsh hawk, and blue dasher. It is native to much of eastern Asia, from India to Japan to Indonesia.
Conservation status: Least Concern
Eastern bluebirds must be migrating through as there were around 10 or so chasing each other around these dead tree snags.
Bartel Grassland
Built for the Cotton Belt in 1988 as SSW 8049, former Union Pacific B40-8 1848 is perhaps one of the "newest" locomotives preserved in a museum.
Donated to the IRM by the UP, the 1848 was doing its thing on the IRM's main line in 2014. Hopefully someday the Dash Eight will once again wear the scarlet and grey instead of what it wears now.
Almost the exact opposite color of how it will look as an adult. My dragonfly ID book says blue dashers emerge right at the beginning of June in the Upper Midwest so maybe this was this beauty's very first morning. Photographed in the La Crosse River Marsh.
If I ever wrote a book on photographing dragonflies, I would give each species a rating as to how cooperative they are in terms of photographing them. The blue dasher would receive one of the highest ratings. They like to sit on the same perch totally still and then "dash" out to catch their prey before returning to the same perch. Photographed along the pond in Chad Erickson Park, La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Blue Dasher, Pachydiplax longipennis, reflecting the morning sun at Seabourne Creek Nature Park, Rosenberg TX. Surprised he escaped the attack that broke his wing.
10 Aug 2021; 11:00 CDT, Velvia SOOC
#CN106 passes through Brockville with another Dash 8 cowl leader sporting its classic zebra stripes. Trailing is IC Blue Devil 2462. Together, they’re working to bring their train to Montreal without any delays.
The blue dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) is a dragonfly of the skimmer family. It is very common and widely distributed through North America and into the Bahamas