Dragonfly: Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia) - Teneral

I saw a ‘new’ dragonfly when I was down at the creek a few days ago. It was behaving unusually in that it was landing in the shade under foliage rather than on a branch in the sun. It was not as shy like most dragonflies. It looked like a Common Whitetail in shape and the markings were similar to those of a female Common Whitetail although it lacked the typical colors on the body and the wings. It took a little sleuthing to identify it as a teneral, a dragonfly that has recently emerged from its’ nymph stage and whose body is still soft.

Identification resources:
- Bug Guide: Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia) Teneral
- The Dragonfly Life Cycle [Teneral]
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