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.