| Actual Image
Common Whitetail Deposits Eggs (16)
Ken52
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 663 W: 98 N: 1260]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif) (4181) | Common Whitetail Dragonfly - Libellula Lydia
With this post I wanted to illustrate and discuss the egg-laying behavior of Common Whitetail dragonflies.
I photographed both male and female of the species while the female was laying her eggs, but the pair of dragonflies were too far apart to capture in one frame, so I have chosen to merge the photo of the male and female to illustrate their behavior.
If you would like to see a larger version of each photo, click Workshop.
When the female has a batch of eggs ready, she will mate with the male, and thus the eggs are fertilized. Then the female will deposit here eggs by flying low over the water and repeatedly tapping her abdomen to the surface. While she is depositing her eggs, the male will hover over the female, thus discouraging other males from mating with her before the eggs are deposited.
Identification:
Males and females have different wing patterns.
Males:
Immature males have the same body pattern as females but the same wing pattern as mature males.
'Tween' males have abdomens that are beginning to turn blue, but the adolescent body pattern still shows through the blue.
Mature males have a short, stout abdomen that is completely chalky blue-white covering the adolescent pattern.
Females:
Females have a short, stout abdomen with several oblique dorsolateral white or pale yellow markings against a brown ground color; each wing has three black evenly-spaced blotches.
Range:
Found in the 48 contiguous states and the range continues south into Mexico. Found in these Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
Habitat: Ponds, lakes, marshes, streams; adults may also be found some distance from water.
Food: Adults feed on flying insects.
Note:
Females are often confused with the Twelve-spotted Skimmer, but you can tell by looking at the stripe down the abdomen. On the Twelve-spotted Skimmer the stripe down the sides of the abdomen will be solid. On Common Whitetail females the line will be broken, as a series of diagonal lines.
Source: http://bugguide.net/node/view/603
Data For Both Photos:
Aperture = f8.0
Shutter = 1/1000s
ISO = 400
Focal Length = 300mm
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens |
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