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Green
Darner Dragonfly - Anax junius
Anax junius
green darner dragonfly pictures / Male
& female specimens, mating wheel
Order Odonata (Fabricius, 1793) /
Suborder Anisoptera (Selys, 1854) -- dragonflies, libellules /
Family Aeshnidae -- darners /
Species: Anax
junius (Drury, 1773)
All Green Darner specimens were photographed live, unposed at Winfield Mounds
Forest Preserve, Winfield IL.
The
Quebec Ministry of
Natural Resources liked the mating wheel pictures and used one
on its website.
The
Humane Society of America used the same photos on its 2006 calendar
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Green Darner Female
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Green Darner male
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Green Darner compound eyes are said
to be the color of milk chocolate; tru dat. |
Male is at the top
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Green Darner
Mating Wheel
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Female detail
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Identification:
This widespread species
is one of the most commonly seen, most often in flight. These large
dragonflies are some of the strongest flyers around and can be seen
patrolling high above grassy fields in search of prey. The face is
pale green with a distinct black spot on the top of the frons
bordered anteriorly by a blue semicircle congering the impression of
a bulls eyes. The thorax is green with brown only lightly
represented on the lateral sutures. The wings are clear with a
yellow costa. The abdomen is mostly blue, with green on segment 1 in
males and greenish-brown or reddish-brown throughout in females. The
brown superior caudal appendages in the male are long, about the
length of segments 9-10 combined.
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Female is on right
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Habitat: Near ponds and slow
streams. Adults hunt while airborne over sunny fields and meadows,
preying on midges, mosquitoes, Caddisflies and other flying insects.
Naiads feed on tadpoles, small fish, and aquatic insects. Life Cycle:
Female inserts eggs singly into slits cut in stem of submerged plants.
When fully grown, naiads crawl from the water to transform into adults.
The green darner is commonly known as the "Darning Needle" or "Snake
Doctor." |
Dragonflies are slow and clumsy
flying in tandem. |
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