Blazing Tooth by Enmos

Photography • Macro • posted on Dec 18, 2005

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Description

Thanks for viewing !! :o) - Order: Odonata - Dragonflies and Damselflies Genus: Sympetrum - Meadowhawks or Red Skimmers Species: Striolatum - Common Darter The name Odonata, derived from the Greek "odonto-" meaning tooth, refers to the strong teeth found on the mandibles of most adults. The Genus Sympetrum, Meadowhawks or the Red Skimmers, are the last-of-the-season dragonflies, continuing to breed into November if the weather remains mild. As compared with other Skimmers such as the Widow and Twelve-spotted, the Red Skimmers are relatively small with wing spans of about two inches and usually unpatterned wings (although there may be some yellow at the base). The Red Skimmers perch on scrubby growth near the water, frequently with their wings held forward. For egg laying, they seek low plants in the shallows, such as mosses, and it is not uncommon to see many pairs ovipositing in tandem within the same square foot of prime breeding ground, dipping the abdomen first in the water then on the bank. Late laid eggs probably overwinter and it is possible that in the northeast, the adult Meadowhawks migrate. The nymphs are small and slender and are found in bottom silt and organic matter. Sympetrum striolatum is a true dragonfly. It is generally the commonest of the 'darter' dragonflies in Europe. The wingspan is 58 mm and the average overall length is 37 mm, making it a conspicuous insect, though not as large as the hawker dragonflies. The male, shown here, is predominantly a bright orange-red. Females and immature males are more yellowish in colour. This is a dragonfly of a wide range of waterbodies. It is a strong flyer, able to hover and to make rapid, darting flights after its prey. Although most frequently seen by ponds and in the wetland areas in which it breeds, it can hunt far from water and is often seen resting or basking on light coloured objects or on roads and paths. It frequently selects a perch from which it will make its hunting forays and will characteristically return to the same spot. - Thanks for all your wonderful comments on my last upload, "Green Alien" !! -- Many thanks, Jeroen