Widow Skimmer female

Description:

Female and immature male Widow Skimmers are quite different from the mature males. They do not have the white marks on their wings, however they do have the brown bands on each wing like the mature males do. The females and young males have a brown thorax in which there is a dorsal stripe of yellow and a brown abdomen edged with yellow stripes. The female Widow Skimmer's physical appearance is the main reason for the first half of the species' common name, comparing the brown-black patches on the their wings to a widow's black veil. In fact, their scientific name luctuosa means sorrowful and mournful.

Habitat:

Miller Springs Park contains diverse riparian terrain, including limestone bluffs, estuarial wetlands, mountain cedar hilltops, and riverside cottonwood stands. Numerous trails traverse prairie-like open spaces and forests of native cedar elm, live oak, and red oaks. Recent floods have created a new canyon that reveals numerous layers of sedimentary rock and fossils. Area wildlife includes white-tail deer, red foxes, coyotes, black squirrels, armadillos, and about 200 species of birds in the course of the year.