A panoply of Painted Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula semifasciata) provides a palette of oranges, reds, and yellows that brightens the dreary days of mid-winter.
Males
Females
All of the preceding individuals were spotted on 02 June 2014 near a vernal pool in a relatively remote location in the forest at Huntley Meadows Park.
Painted Skimmer dragonflies do not display sexual dimorphism, that is, males and females are nearly identical in appearance except for their terminal appendages. Also notice the faces of male Painted Skimmers are white and red, like their faces are “sunburned”; female faces are white and tan.
Copyright © 2015 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: female, Huntley Meadows Park, Libellula semifasciata, male, Painted Skimmer dragonfly, sexual dimorphism, vernal pool, wildlife photography
January 21, 2015 at 5:26 am |
These wonderful shots really do help chase away the winter blues and bring back warm memories of that vernal pool, which turned out to be an amazing location for spotting dragonflies. In only a few more months, the first dragonflies should start to appear.
January 21, 2015 at 6:23 am |
[…] another burst of color, check out today’s posting “Winter Blues…” by fellow photographer and blogger, Walter Sanford, with gorgeous images of Painted Skimmer […]