Sunday, January 17, 2010

Darner Dragonfly

There are six different families of dragonflies that we see here in Minnesota. They are the Libellulidae, or skimmers, Gomphidae, or clubtail, Cordulegastridae, or spiketail, Corduliidae, or emeralds, Macromiidae, or cruisers, and the Aeshnidae, or the darners. The skimmers are probably the most common around here but we also see a lot of darners too.
Darners are big dragonflies with a large thorax, thin abdomen and large eyes that meet each other across the top of the head. There are 39 different types of darners in North America and we see 19 different types around where I live. Some of the darners are easy to identify, like the common green darner, but many of the blue darners look very similar. Typically the only way to identify most of the blue darners is by the pattern of side stripes on the thorax. Unfortunately this darner, that I photographed at Park Point in Duluth in September, did not give me an opportunity to get a very good picture of the side of its thorax and so I can not tell which type of darner that it is.

16 comments:

Teresa said...

Wow! I had no idea there were so many. they are very beautiful. your photos are great!

Trish ~ ♥ ~ said...

like a fairy princess

Anonymous said...

Once again you surprise and delight. Awesome creatures. I'm amazed how you manage to capture such detailed images of creatures that aren't especially interested in waiting and posing.

Kim, USA said...

I am very envious,^_^ how did you capture such as this beauty. I used to catch dragonflies when I was young and just a slight movement they can sense it right away. But you got them thumbs up for you!! Happy Monday!

MM:CenterpieceFalls

Christina. Sweden said...

Great as always, love the way the sun reflects in the wings on the first one. and the information is interesting to as always :-)

Jama said...

You captured them beautifully!

Müge said...

Very beautiful shots and thank you for the information as well. I impatiently wait for the spring, I will make walks in the nature and search for this beautiful insect.

Have a delightful new week!

Gena @ Thinking Aloud said...

Wonderful capture of dragon fly... always nice to get a few pics if they keep still long enough, hey!!?? Lovely post.
have a great day!
Gena @ Thinking Aloud
a photoblog

foto CHIP said...

It melts in perfectly - amazing in all the colours :)

Jay said...

I'm always impressed with your photographs of dragonflies, and these are no exception! Beautiful shots.

Helena said...

These are gorgeous! I love watching the dragonflies around here in the summer.

KaHolly said...

And that can be most frustrating! Beautiful photos, id'd or not!

villager said...

The wings are so delicate - you can see right through them! Wonderful photos, very impressive indeed.

Carol said...

I have become a fan of Dragonflies. I find myself chasing them all over the canals and rivers. That is a beauty.

www.wildlifearoundus.blogspot.com

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