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Posts Tagged: Odonata
Delightful Damselflies
When an egret swooped down and ate all the goldfish in our fish pond--quite a smorgasbord of goldies--we left the pond bare for a couple of months. The result was a good one: more damselflies. Damselflies lay their eggs in water, whether it be a...
Damselfly with water mites (see egglike mass). The insect next to it is probably thrips, according to Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Damselfly resting in the garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A blue damsefly brightens the garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
My Old Flame
I usually can't get within 25 yards of a dragonfly. Not so in our back yard. A flame skimmer or firecracker skimmer (Libellula saturata) has apparently decided that this is where he wants to be. Last Saturday, for nine hours, he perched on a...
A flame skimmer perches on a bamboo stake. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Different view, different time: same flame skimmer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Flame skimmer peeks over the bamboo stake. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
From the back, the flame skimmer is equally gorgeous. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Flame skimmer devouring lunch, an insect he caught in mid-air. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Ode to the Meadowhawk
If you're around creeks, ponds and irrigation ditches, watch for the dragonflies. We spotted scores of variegated meadowhawks (Sympetrum corruptum) last Sunday along an irrigation ditch bordering a sunflower field in Winters, Calif. Like helicopters,...
Variegated meadowhawk, Sympetrum corruptum, glows in the early morning. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A camouflaged variegated meadowhawk. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Dragonfly mating ritual. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Up Close and Personal
Up close and personal, those blue damselflies (suborder Zygoptera, order Odonata) look prehistoric.Fact is, they were here before the dinosaurs.These needlelike insects add an iridescent presence as they fly awkwardy over our fish pond, catching prey....
Blue damselfy resting on nectarine leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Wide view of a blue damselfly perched on a nectarine leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Blue Dancers
Blue damselflies should be on "Dancing with Stars." Because, in many respects, they ARE the stars--the stars of the insect world. They're slender, delicate and beautiful dancers that look like blue-stick diamonds. Damselflies are often confused with...
Damselfly's compound eyes don't miss much. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Slender as a needle, a damselfly warms itself, preparing for flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
