Common Whitetail
Libellula lydia
45.4005, -71.8837
Field Notes
Description:
The Common Whitetail or Long-tailed Skimmer (Libellula lydia) is a common dragonfly across much of North America, with a striking and unusual appearance. The male's chunky white body (about 5 cm long), combined with the brownish-black bands on its otherwise translucent wings, give it a checkered look. Females have a brown body and a different pattern of wing spots, closely resembling that of female Libellula pulchella, the Twelve-spotted Skimmer. Whitetail females can be distinguished by their smaller size, shorter bodies, and white zigzag abdominal stripes; L. puchella's abdominal stripes are straight and yellow.[
Habitat:
The Common Whitetail can be seen hawking for mosquitoes and other small flying insects over ponds, marshes, and slow-moving rivers in most regions except the higher mountain regions. Periods of activity vary between regions; for example in California, the adults are active from April to September.
Notes:
So fat that when she passed near my head that would make a zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz hihihihihi :))
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