Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Wondering about a dragonfly.

We have a couple of ponds (and in wet seasons, a swamp) on our place and of course all that goes with them; like mosquitoes and dragonflies.  Dragonflies eat mosquitoes and dragonfly nymphs eat mosquito larva, among other things.  Depending on the species, they can live from one to six months.  There are many, many different species of them.  The one that lives on my place I have never seen anywhere else.  I am sure they exist in many other locations.  Take a look at this picture I took of one and tell me if any of you have ever seen this variety, and if so, where.


I further cropped the picture to give you a close up view.  The automatic focus of the camera kept wanting to focus on the grass and ground behind the fence other than on the fly, so it is a little blurry.  Sorry I couldn't get a better picture.
 

I have been wanting to take pictures of these for a long time now, so when I saw this one on the dog's fence, I went in and got my camera.  It was nice enough to wait there for me.  Now, you all have a great day today, you hear?

16 comments:

  1. I don't recognize the markings, but I like to see the dragon flies around the house. Great for 'skeeter control!

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  2. I love dragon flys. Anything that eats bugs that bite me is a friend of mine. The markings look like something I've seen before, but no idea where. Heck, it could have been in East TX for all I can remember.

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  3. I'm thinking you live over in east Texas... google "Twelve Spotted Skimmer. That's my first guess... if that isn't right check out the female "Common Whitetail". I, too, love dragonflies... and damselflies... and ...well, just about anything that flies except mosquitoes and deer flies!

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  4. H.J., they do a good job of keeping tghe 'skeeter population in check.

    Sixbears, you could have seen it any where in North America, Canada included.

    The Odd Essay, you got the name right and thanks to you, I learned something today.

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  5. We have a lot of dragonflies this year out flying around our water feature. From what you are saying about them eating mosquito larva, I'm taking this as a good sign.

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  6. Love them too. Never saw one like yours tho. I have zillions of doodle bugs. All around my car.
    Hey, did you go back and read my update yesterday? Just "wondering"...

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  7. I onest had me a pet dragonfly. When he weren't in his cage, I keep him on a leash. Otherwise he would fly off to the neighbors pond an' get hisself all sick an' stuff eat'n them damn skeeters over there. He strangle hisself to death one day chas'n a dad gum possum out the yard. Burry him out there in the back yard under that big ol' oak tree.

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  8. Jill, their larva eat mosquito larve and then when they mature they eat mosquitoes. Need more of them around, I'd sat.

    Trouble, I like to watch those doodle bugs when an ant slips into the cone hole they dug and the doodle bugs jaws reach out the bottom of the cone hole and grab them.

    B.B., Did you have a funeral service for him with flowers and tears and all that before you burried him?

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    Replies
    1. When we were kids, we had contests to see who could catch the smallest ones. Hard.

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  9. Trouble, I did go back yesterday and read your update.

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  10. I have never seen a dragonfly like yours. We certainly need it after all the rain here to eat up those darn mosquitoes :(

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  11. A dragonfly who is not camera shy, who knew? We have them whipping around our yard, they don't land for long. We also have lots of birds, they might make them nervous!

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  12. MsB, I have only seen them here on my place but the literature says they can be found all over North America.

    Jill, If I were a butterfly, birds would make me nervous, too, since birds eat butterflies.

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  13. There are even small ones around here and there isn't any water anywhere around here (other than in my tank) and they can't get in there. I like them because they do eat mosquitoes to, but there aren't usually any of those around here. I don't like it when they fly in here at night when the door is open and buzz the LED lights though.

    I hear the larger ones some times kill bees which would be a good thing around here! I'd like to see some big enough to eat conenose.

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  14. David, There must be some water somewhere for them. They need it when they are in the nymph stage.

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    Replies
    1. DD, if there is they travel a ways from it. My pond is dry most of the time. Nearest full time water that I know of would be about 5 miles away.

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