Flying slowly and weakly with its patterned wings, a male Widow Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa) looks amazingly like a butterfly as it flutters by. Fortunately this one stopped to perch on some vegetation at the edge of a small stream and I was able to get this shot.
This was the second time that I have seen a male Widow Skimmer this spring. It’s easy to tell that this is a male, because the females do not have the white spots on their wings. When I saw one last month, though, it was a little tougher to make the call. Immature male Widow Skimmers look a lot like females, as is the case with many dragonfly species. The colors of “fresh” dragonflies tends to be pale and wing patterns may not have developed fully yet. The photo below provides a pretty clear view of the “claspers” at the tip of the abdomen, which indicates that this is a male. Eventually he will grow up and begin to look more like the mature Widow Skimmer in the first photo.
Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Interesting info about the colours of immature dragonflies… I love this distinct bi-colour one. Never seen one like this before. You know you are getting me really curious about dragonflies, Mike! I notice them more and enjoy their bright colours!
What a neat looking skimmer!
Thanks. There are so many cool-looking dragonflies and I never tire of looking for old friends as well as new species.
That’s quite a difference. I’m not sure I would have identified the immature example correctly.