A female Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula vibrans) laying eggs by the process of oviposition. Flanges beneath the female’s eighth abdominal segment are used to scoop and hold a few drops of water; the dragonfly skims the water repeatedly, picking up drops of water that are used to flick fertilized eggs toward the shore. The process typically lasts a few seconds to a few minutes. Look closely at the full-size version of this photo — I think you can see a drop of water and/or egg cluster at the lower end of the dragonfly’s abdomen!
Remember that all dragonflies and damselflies have a 10-segmented abdomen, numbered from front to back.
Tech Tips: I used a shutter speed of 1,300 second in order to capture a still photo of the dragonfly in flight.
Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com
Tags: female, Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly, Huntley Meadows Park, Libellula vibrans, oviposition, wildlife photography
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