The following photo shows a female Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum ambiguum) spotted at Huntley Meadows Park. This individual is an andromorph.
The photo was annotated in order to highlight a gash in the left eye of the female dragonfly (the closer eye, relative to the photo). It’s possible she sustained the eye injury by mating with a male.
Female dragonflies that have mated often have marks on their eyes where the male epiproct has scratched or even punctured the eyes. Source Credit: Paulson, Dennis (2011-12-19). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides) (Kindle Location 392). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.
The following gallery features more photos of the same specimen, including several pictures in which the eye injury can be seen clearly.
Copyright © 2013 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: andromorph, Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly, cerci, female, Huntley Meadows Park, Sympetrum ambiguum, wildlife photography
walter sanford's photoblog 
October 16, 2013 at 5:14 pm |
Your shots of the Blue-faced Meadowhawks continue to amaze me. I know how difficult they are to find and how challenging the light conditions are once you have found them. The sharpness of your focus and the vibrancy of the colors are wonderful. I especially like the images with the bright red rose hips (?) that accentuate the color of the dragonfly.
January 31, 2018 at 4:05 am |
[…] Resource: Eye injury, a blog post by Walter Sanford, featuring photos of a female andromorph Blue-faced Meadowhawk […]