Dragonfly: Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis)

May 4th, 2012. There is a turn-around at the end of one of the gravel road we frequent in the Scull Shoals Experimental Forest in the Oconee Wildlife Management Area in Greene County, Georgia. We’ve seen a lot of dragonflies along this road this year: Spangled Skimmers (Libellula cyanea), Common Whitetails (Plathemis lydia), Eastern Pondhawks (Erythemis simplicicollis).

We see quite a number of male Blue Dasher dragonflies during the year but very few females. On May 4th, we saw a single, shy female which permitted a couple of shots before she flew off into the woods.

A male Blue Dasher, photographed in Jasper County, Georgia in 2011.

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The female Blue Dasher. She was a pretty creature. I wish we saw more of them.

Blue Dashers are one of the more common dragonflies in Georgia, occurring throughout the state between mid-March and mid-November.
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Identification resources:
- Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of Georgia: Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis)
- BugGuide: Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) [Male] [Female]

Related post:
- Blue Dasher: Up Close And Personal