Most dragonflies have clear wings, so I am happy when I see one with dark patches on its wings. It is even more exciting to see one with both brown and white patches, like this male Widow Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa) that I spotted on Saturday at Occoquan Regional Park in nearby Lorton, Virginia.
When it comes to identifying dragonfly species, I have learned to focus not only on the colors of the wing patterns, but also on the number of such patches and their shapes. In the case of the Widow Skimmer, for example, both the males and females have the brown patches on the portion of the wings nearest the body.
Why are they called “Widow Skimmers?” Someone apparently thought the dark patches looked like the mourning crepe that historically widows wore. Even the Latin name “luctuosa” means “sorrowful.”
I used to be confused by the use of a female-associated word like “widow” with males, but I have gotten used to it. In fact, I no longer give a second thought to the idea of male damselflies, though I don’t have a clue about how that label affects their self-image.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I do think I have seen these around here!
It wouldn’t surprise me. They are relatively common, though they seem to like really marshy areas–my feet got a little wet when photographing this one because I was standing in a muddy, marshy place.
Both photos are awesome and I especially like the detail available in the top photo. The creature is a wonderful construction!
If you look closely at the wings, especially near the body, you will see the the individual “cells” are all different shapes, like those of a stained glass window. The wings indeed are amazing in their complexity.
[…] included a photo of a mature male Widow Skimmer at this same location from a 2019 posting entitled Male Widow Skimmer dragonfly. It may be a little hard to envision, but the dragonfly in the first photo will eventually grow to […]