Widow skimmers are great dragonflies to work with to practice your macro skills They frequently perch at the top of a stick or a blade of grass and give you enough time to get off a couple of pics. Even if they get startled and fly off they will often return to the same perch or at least a spot nearby.
Widow skimmers are also very colorful with both male and female having large black wing patches. In the two photos above the top one is a male. The male is identified by the white wing patches near the ends of the wings. Notice the female in the second photo just has the black wing patches and no white. The male in the first photo has most likely emerged rather recently. I can tell this because he still has yellow stripes showing at the end of his abdomen. As widow skimmer males age their abdomen gets
covered with a chalky substance called
pruinose. This will eventually cover the side spots and make the whole
abdomen appear a slate blue color.
Widow skimmers are great dragonflies to work with to practice your macro skills They frequently perch at the top of a stick or a blade of grass and give you enough time to get off a couple of pics. Even if they get startled and fly off they will often return to the same perch or at least a spot nearby.
Widow skimmers are also very colorful with both male and female having large black wing patches. In the two photos above the top one is a male. The male is identified by the white wing patches near the ends of the wings. Notice the female in the second photo just has the black wing patches and no white. The male in the first photo has most likely emerged rather recently. I can tell this because he still has yellow stripes showing at the end of his abdomen. As widow skimmer males age their abdomen gets covered with a chalky substance called pruinose. This will eventually cover the side spots and make the whole abdomen appear a slate blue color.
5 comments:
Another awesome macro!
Terrific captures.
I also like the flowers in your previous post. Good to see something colourful and cheery when outside my window it is bleak and wet :-)
This is a fine speciman! I'm in TX and seeing dragonflies zoom past me during the day. I can't wait until I catch one of them in a resting position to quell my curiousity! Hoping for something different than in the NE! Have a great day, ~kaholly
These are excellent shots! So glad he posed for you and that you introduced me to widow skimmers.
lovely macro! i loved the details you have given about the creature, particularly from a photographer's point of view.
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