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Project Noah Nature School
Orthemis ferruginea
This male skimmer is approximately 2 inches in length. Its' head is a deep reddish brown and it has a purplish blue thorax. It has a pink abdomen. It has clear wings with orange colored veins. Females differ in color having a brown head, brown thorax, and a light brown to orange looking tale.
Habitat includes: Fresh water areas such as ponds, lakes, streams with slow moving water, and open water areas. These skimmers can be found throughout the southern United States, Mexico, West Indies, and Central America south to Chile. Diet: eats insects (can eat insects comparable to its' own size) Ref: https://www.odonatacentral.org/index.php... https://www.sara-tx.org/environmental-sc...
We had quite a lot of rain in our area a couple of weeks ago. We have a drainage area that fills with water. There have been several species of dragonflies hovering over the drainage ditch. We were lucky that this one landed long enough to get a few pictures. Fun Facts: Males defend territories of up to 10 miles. Females lay their eggs in flight. Ref: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2708
Spotted on May 7, 2019
Submitted on May 25, 2019
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