A Common Whitetail dragonfly (Plathemis lydia) was observed near a small pond during a photowalk with Michael Powell at Occoquan Regional Park (ORP). This individual is a female, as indicated by her mostly brown coloration, pattern of wing spots, and terminal appendages.
28 APR 2021 | ORP | Common Whitetail (female)
Contrast the appearance of the female (shown above) with an immature male (shown below) seen on the same day at the same location. Notice the wing spots and terminal appendages are quite different for female and male Common Whitetail dragonflies.
28 APR 2021 | ORP | Common Whitetail (immature male)
Later the same day, another Common Whitetail dragonfly was observed near Mulligan Pond at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge (JMAWR) in Fairfax County, Virginia USA. This individual is a mature male, as indicated by the white pruinescence covering his abdomen. “Common Whitetail,” the common name for Plathemis lydia, is derived from the coloration of mature males of this species.
28 APR 2021 | JMAWR | Common Whitetail (mature male)
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Tags: Common Whitetail dragonfly, female, immature male, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, mature male, Mulligan Pond, Occoquan Regional Park, Plathemis lydia, pruinescence, terminal appendages
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