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Common Whitetail

Plathemis lydia

Photo by joanbstanley
Published on Project Noah
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33.3749, -96.4743

Field Notes

Description:

Description
Stocky, brown dragonfly with clear, black-banded wings and brown eyes; males with chalky white abdomen (last segment of body); female’s abdomen brown with two light yellow side stripes; perch with body and wings horizontal on ground or low-lying plant stems

Habitat:

Collin County Adventure Camp is a branch of the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas and an ACA accredited facility and program. Explore the unique environment of the Black Land Prairie in our Outdoor Education program.

Notes:

The adult male common whitetail skimmer has a bluish-white tail that it uses to flash warnings to other males that intrude into his territory. This whitish tail coloration, however, is not its actual color, but a waxy covering called "prunosity," that naturally occurs as the dragonfly matures.

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