Green darner - Juvenile/female

Anax junius.  Photographed at Munson Pond, Kelowna.  500 mm prime on APS-C sensor camera.

I photographed this female (or juvenile) green darner two days ago while I was visiting Munson Pond in Kelowna.  Munson Pond is under attack because the powers that be have decided that a road needs to go through the protected area it resides in.  The water body is a haven for many insect, animal, and bird species.  

The male of the green darner (I've never photographed one, but you can see one here) has a bright green head and thorax; the eyes may even be a bright green.  The one I photographed above is a female, or possibly a juvenile, according to my research.  You can tell it is a darner dragonfly because of the merging compound eyes situated on top of the head.  These are large dragonflies, often with wingspans up to 4 inches.

I spotted this dragonfly land on a twig in a vertical format.  Apparently, they land this way so as to rest while also keeping a keen eye open for any movement.  Their compound eyes do not allow for much detail, but they are excellent at detecting motion.  I used to throw rocks for them to chase when I was a boy.  I always got a kick out of watching them chase small stones in a descending arc until they determined it was not of interest to them.

If you see a large dragonfly with a pair of eyes touching on top of their head and is perched vertically on some stem, it is probably a darner.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

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