Great Pondhawk Dragonfly

Great Pondhawk

Earlier this year Michelle and I went down to Texas on vacation. The main purpose of most of my vacations is to go out an take pictures in habitats tat are different then I see at home. This year we did not go to Texas until April. We did not see the diversity of birds that we have when we have traveled there in late February but we made up for it by photographing many new species of butterfly and dragonfly. The great pondhawk was a species that I almost missed. They were fairly common at several of the parks but I mistook them for common pondhawk females. 

Common Pondhawk

The common pondhawk is a dragonfly that I see frequently around home during the summer. The female and immature are green in color with stripes across the abdomen. As the males mature they are covered with pruinose and they turn a chalky blue color. The great pondhawk is a little bit larger. Their abdomen is thinner and the stripes on it are reddish a little bit more distinct. Also both male and female are the same coloration.

Common Pondhawk

Common Pondhawk

The common pondhawk is a medium sized member of the skimmer family of dragonflies. As their name suggests they are often found around ponds but they can also sometimes be found near lakes or slow moving streams, particularly where you find surface vegetation such as lily pads.

For its size the common pondhawk is one of the fiercest dragons around. It will prey on almost anything that is their own size and sometimes things even larger, this includes butterflies, damselflies and other dragonflies. They usually attack ambush style from a favorite perch and have large spines on their legs which helps them handle larger prey.