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...

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 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)

Damselfly resting in the garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A blue damsefly brightens 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...

A flame skimmer perches on a bamboo stake. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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)

Different view, different time: same flame skimmer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Flame skimmer peeks over the bamboo stake. (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)

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)

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)...

Variegated meadowhawk, Sympetrum corruptum, glows in the early morning. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Variegated meadowhawk, Sympetrum corruptum, glows in the early morning. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A camouflaged variegated meadowhawk. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A camouflaged variegated meadowhawk. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Dragonfly mating ritual. (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...

Blue damselfy resting on nectarine leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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)

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,...

Damselfly's compound eyes don't miss much. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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)

Slender as a needle, a damselfly warms itself, preparing for flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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