Blue Dasher Dragonfly

Description:

This is a female Blue Dasher. She has paired yellow stripes on the dorsal side of the first 8 abdominal segments, but not on segments 9 and 10. The end of the abdomen has a yellowish-white tuft in the center. The eyes retain the half red/brown, half blue/gray color of immatures, though an occasional green-eyed female can be seen.

Habitat:

Ponds, lakes, marshes, and bogs. Can be found almost anywhere there is still water. Larva is highly tolerant of wetlands with poor water quality and low dissolved-oxygen levels. This one was photographed at the Silver Bluff Audubon Center near Jackson, SC.

Notes:

Primarily a summer species. Food is tiny flying insects.