Swamp Darner dragonfly (female)

Epiaeschna heros

Description:

A Swamp Darner dragonfly spotted from the observation tower at Huntley Meadows Park. This individual is probably a female, based upon the leaf-like terminal appendages at the end of its abdomen. "The caudal appendages are long in both sexes. The male appendages are complex and distinctly hairy. The female appendages are flattened appearing petiolate." Source Credit: Odonata Central. Editor's Note: My apologies for the poor quality of this photo -- although the lens of my superzoom camera has sufficient "reach" to photograph a distant subject like this one, it appears the built-in flash doesn't have the "throw" to illuminate the scene properly.