The darner in flight is definitely not Blue-Eyed; it looks like a Shadow Darner.
I'm not sure what the ovipositing darner is, but I don't think the stripes on the side of the thorax look right for Lake.
The one labelled "Female Common Green Darner" is a male Saffron-Winged Meadowhawk in the process of changing from yellow to red. A handsome one, too -- his black markings are particularly nice and crisp.
The blue skimmer is a male Blue Dasher. Since it's a top view you can't see the color of the face, which is the easiest field mark, but the body shape is different, and Pondhawks don't have that touch of amber at the base of the wing. Also, the way he's tilting his wings forward is a classic Blue Dasher pose.
Thanks for taking the time to comment on/correct the IDs. I sent a link to Dennis Paulson, author of "Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West," and he corrected me on a lot of the IDs as well.
I'm about to settle in with his book, and compare his IDs (and yours) against mine to see where I went wrong.
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Date: 2010-07-20 08:29 pm (UTC)Do you subscribe to
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Date: 2010-07-20 10:26 pm (UTC)Also, glad you like my pictures!
Now, off to browse centuryplant for a while...
Identifications
Date: 2010-07-22 08:46 pm (UTC)I'm not sure what the ovipositing darner is, but I don't think the stripes on the side of the thorax look right for Lake.
The one labelled "Female Common Green Darner" is a male Saffron-Winged Meadowhawk in the process of changing from yellow to red. A handsome one, too -- his black markings are particularly nice and crisp.
The blue skimmer is a male Blue Dasher. Since it's a top view you can't see the color of the face, which is the easiest field mark, but the body shape is different, and Pondhawks don't have that touch of amber at the base of the wing. Also, the way he's tilting his wings forward is a classic Blue Dasher pose.
Re: Identifications
Date: 2010-07-22 09:07 pm (UTC)I'm about to settle in with his book, and compare his IDs (and yours) against mine to see where I went wrong.
He said the ovipositing Darner is a Blue-Eyed.