It's official! Summer is here. The heat. The humidity. The dashers. And it all seems to come packaged with a neat little blue bow. That would be the dashers. But how can they be so lively in such hot weather?
The cattails by the pond in front of the Visitor Center have been abuzz this week with the aerial acrobats of the powdery Columbian blue dragonflies known simply as blue dashers, at least the males are that color. (Scientific name: Pachydiplax longipennis, thus proving that entomologists, or perhaps in this case odonatists, have a sense of humor. It actually means "long wings.")
Blue dasher females are not really blue but have yellow spots and red eyes. The males patrol a given area, chasing away all rivals. But if you are patient, each will land long enough on his favorite perch within his territory for you to get a quick photo.
Blue dasher female
Recommended reference "Dragonflies and Damselflies of Georgia and the Southeast" by Giff Beaton.
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