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Plathemis lydia
The male's chunky white body (about 5 cm long), combined with the brownish-black bands on its otherwise translucent wings, give it a checkered look. Females have a brown body and a different pattern of wing spots, closely resembling that of female Libellula pulchella, the Twelve-spotted Skimmer. Whitetail females can be distinguished by their smaller size, shorter bodies, and white zigzag abdominal stripes.
The Common Whitetail can be seen hawking for mosquitoes and other small flying insects over ponds, marshes, and slow-moving rivers in most regions except the higher mountain regions. Periods of activity vary between regions.
This happens is a female Common Whitetail. The males start off looking like this as well, but become increasingly pruinose (white or gray) as they mature. They also have a different wing pattern.
Spotted on Jul 1, 2012
Submitted on Jul 1, 2012
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