Needham’s Skimmer dragonfly

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Needham’s Skimmer dragonfly

July 16, 2013 by Mike Powell

It’s unusual for me to see a red dragonfly, so yesterday I chased around several of them and have concluded that they are probably Needham’s Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula needhami), a species that I have never before encountered.

In addition to the red-orange bodies, these dragonflies have reddish-brown veins in their wings, which make them very striking. There is another species, Golden-winged skimmers (Libellula auripennis), that is supposed to look like the Needham’s Skimmers, so I may be off in my identification—I will leave the final call to experts.

I’m keeping my eyes open and hope that I’ll be able to find a few more species that are new to me before the summer ends, though it’s tough right now to go outdoors with temperatures in the daytime around 95 degrees F (35 degrees C) and very humid.

Posted in Dragonflies, Insects, Nature, Photography | Tagged Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, dragonfly, Huntley Meadows Park, Libellula needhami, Needham's Skimmer, Needham's Skimmer dragonfly, red dragonfly | 8 Comments

8 Responses

on July 17, 2013 at 12:01 am | Reply krikitarts

This is a real beauty. I know what you’re talking about with the heat and humidity, and those are two of the reasons why I’m so happy to be out of the DC area and back in the Midwest. On the other hand, the variety of dragonflies (and other crittters) you’ve been finding is really something!
- on July 17, 2013 at 4:19 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Gary. We are in the middle of a real heat wave and the weather is really oppressive. I don’t know if there are more varieties of dragonflies this year or if I am more sensitive to their presence, but I am managing to find a lot more of them than last year.
on July 17, 2013 at 1:29 am | Reply lylekrahn

Striking indeed!
I don’t know how you put up with heat – I would shrivel up and die.
- on July 17, 2013 at 4:17 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Lyle. Mostly we cope by staying indoors with air conditioning. I try to get out early to take photos and seek the shade as often as I can.
on July 17, 2013 at 6:00 am | Reply Brigid Jackson

I love Dragonflies, they are the fastest flying insect, so I am not surprised you were running around 🙂 Nice capture *Brigid
on July 17, 2013 at 6:48 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

I think it was worth braving the heat to get a photo of this one. It’s a beauty!
on July 17, 2013 at 6:41 pm | Reply Sue

Neat dragonfly, I don’t think we have that one here. The heat is stifling here too. High 90s in both temp and humidity, which makes for short trips in the outdoors. So much sweat in my eyes, I couldn’t focus.
on July 1, 2018 at 3:12 pm | Reply Carole

I saw a Needham skimmer in Oregon.