2005 Photograph, Female Great Blue Skimmer Dragonfly (Libellula vibrans, Skimmer Family Libellulidae), Occoquan Bay NWR, Woodbridge, Virginia, © 2020.
Blue? Well, eventually.
This is a juvenile female of the species. Dragonflies go thorough a
period of maturation after they emerge from the aquatic nymph stage.
During maturation, both sexes darken in color. Males of this species
also develop a waxy covering that produces a "bloom" over the surface of
the abdomen. |
