Blue Ground Skimmer

Description:

These are small greenish yellow or blue dragonflies with black markings. The male has a pale azure blue colour with eyes that are reddish brown above and pale bluish or yellowish below. The male starts off greenish yellow and looks identical to the female. As the male gets older its body gets covered with fine blue pruinescence (a "frosted" or dusty looking coating) and gets blue eyes. Wings are transparent with wing spots varying from dark blue or grey to black. Last three segments are black. The anal appendages are white. The female has pale greenish yellow markings on its black body. Its eyes are brown on top and yellow below. Thorax is greenish yellow or olive-green. The segments 1-7 of the abdomen is greenish yellow with mid-dorsal and sub-dorsal black stripes. Remaining segments black. Legs are greenish yellow marked with black. They are very skittish and will often fly away at the slightest movement.

Habitat:

They like to stick closely to the ground. It is one of the commonest dragonflies in gardens, fields, playgrounds, etc. It breeds in muddy puddles, tanks and pond edges. Flies Throughout the year.

Notes:

These dragonflies are common across India. These skimmers usually perch on the ground and rarely flies above 1 meter in height. Hence the name ground skimmer. It is a widespread species in India.