Widow Skimmer Dragonfly

Description:

A large dragonfly, approximately 3" in length, with dark markings on it's wings. The body is almost a translucent blue. The males have white patches in the middle of each wing, while the females and immature males do not.

Habitat:

Commonly seen in gardens and ponds. Perching on vegetation where they watch for prey, the widow skimmer will eat thousands of mosquitoes, biting flies, midges and other insects in the garden and around ponds.

Notes:

I learned a new word today... "pruinose"... it means covered with a whitish dust or frosted in appearance. It was part of the description of this dragonfly I spotted during my walk this afternoon. He was flitting around the pond, over on the far side of the parking lot at work, a male because of the "pruinosity"... the whitish bars on his wings. — Spotted in North Billerica, MA.