Dragonflies and Damselflies

Meadowhawk dragonfly (male), genus Sympetrum. (Wisconsin, USA).

Close-up of a Meadowhawk dragonfly, genus Sympetrum, from Iowa, USA.

Spreadwing damselfly - Lestidae: genus Lestes (possibly L. inaequalis, Elegant Spreadwing) from Wisconsin.

Calico Pennant, Celithemis elisa (male), found around the edge of Little Bass Lake in northern Wisconsin.

Blue Dasher, Brachydiplax chalybea chlybea, from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Skimmer dragonfly, family Libellulidae (Iowa, USA).

Brown Setwing, Dythemis sterilis, from Belize.

Dancer damselfly - Coenagrionidae: genus Argia, from Belize.

Skimmer dragonfly (Libellulidae: genus Neurothemis) from Koh Chang Island, Thailand.

Ditch Jewel dragonfly (Libellulidae: Brachythemis contaminata, male), found outside the main temple complex of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Skimmer dragonfly (Libellulidae: genus Aethriamanta, male) from Koh Chang Island, Thailand.

Female Senegal Golden Dartlet, Ischnura senegalensis, from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa), male. (Iowa, USA)

Skimmer dragonfly (Libellulidae: Neurothemis fluctuans), female, from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Blue Dasher dragonfly (male), Pachydiplax longipennis, from Iowa.

Forktail Damselfly (Coenagrionidae: genus Ischnura) from Iowa.

Eastern Forktail damselfly, Ischnura verticalis (female), from Iowa.

Spreadwing damselfly - Lestidae: genus Lestes (possibly L. inaequalis, Elegant Spreadwing) from Wisconsin.

Courting pair of Fiery-eyed Dancer damselflies, Argia oenea, from Belize. The male on top will remain in this position for some time before copulation. If he is deemed suitable by the female, she will reach back with her abdomen and accept his sperm.

Skimmer dragonfly, Orthemis sp. (possibly O. discolor) from Panama. I caught this one napping during a night walk.

Rubyspot damselfly (Hetaerina sp.) with bonus photobombing spider from Panama.

Damselfly portrait from Panama.

Damselfly (Argia sp., possibly A. cupreaurea) from Panama.

Close-up of helicopter damselfly wings (Pseudostigmatidae: probably Megaloprepus caerulatus) from Panama.

Dragonfly from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Spread-winged damselfly (Lestidae) from Panama.

Blue dasher, Pachydiplax longipennis, from the Timucuan Preserve in Jacksonville, Florida.

Dragonfly from the Timucuan Preserve in Florida.

Meadowhawk dragonfly (Libellulidae: Sympetrum sp.) from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Damselfly from Panama.

Blue dasher, Pachydiplax longipennis (female) in my backyard in Iowa.

Common whitetail, Plathemis lydia (female) in my backyard in Iowa.

A colorful damselfly from Panama.

Damselfly from Panama.

Damselfly from Panama.

A well-camouflaged dragonfly nymph lies in wait in a streambed in Panama. These ambush predators use a specialized lower jaw to snatch prey with lightning speed, not unlike the famous double-jaw from the "Aliens" franchise.

The aptly named giant spreadwing damselfly, Archilestes grandis (male), from Iowa.

A purple-eyed damselfly from Belize.