Blue Dasher
Pachydiplax longipennis
August 19, 2012
 


  I suppose the first important fact about the blue dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis), a small to medium size dragonfly, is that the female doesn't have a touch of blue on her.

She's a striking yellow and black dragonfly with bright, red eyes.

 
Female blue dasher (dragonfly)
 
  Incidentally, her position is known as a "pyramid," a method by which a dragonfly cools off.

The male blue dasher includes blue among its colors, although it is somewhat faint. (The stripes across its thorax (or chest) is more of an ID mark.

 
Male blue dasher (dragonfly)
 
  On the next male blue dasher photo, the blue is somewhat clearer (and note the darker tail tip).
 
Male blue dasher
 
  Last year, I had photographed the female blue dasher (but never remembered to upload the photos), so I was very pleased to encounter both males and females of the dragonfly species this summer.

Photo note: The photos were taken in the Toftrees game land during June and July 2012, and I used the Pentax K20D, with the Voigtlander 125mm macro lens (first photo) and the Sigma 150-500mm lens (second and third photos).



Male and female amberwings and male and female widow skimmer dragonflies

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