March 5, 2026
Nature Done Wright
Incorporating the Celery Farm and Screech Owl Companion blogs
CELERY FARM: Dragonfly heaven
At the Warden’s Watch at noon on Sunday, dragonflies were buzzing everywhere — a half-dozen species at least.
I’ll post more photos later, after I get my experts to help me ID them.
I am borrowing my friend Jerry’s macro lens — hence the improved image quality.
Thanks, Jerry!
5 comments
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Bob – Actually you were probably right in the first place. And I agree that IDing from single photos is probably dangerous. But at least we can have fun arguing about these things.
Tom http://www.bioman10.blogspot.com -
Tom… you could easily be right on the Blue dasher. If you could see thoracic thin dorsal bars and stripes and yellow laterals, it would be a dasher. The dasher’s eyes would be greener than the slaty’s; and the face white. Unfortunately, none of these things can be seen (well)in the photo. So, I think that I’ll stop trying to i.d. odes from a single photo and go back to keeping my mouth shut unless I have the critter in hand. Does Jim Wright have a net? 🙂
//Bob// -
OK, I give up–no more Odonate ID for me! That thing surely doesn’t look “slaty” enough for my taste–much too light! I think I just go eat worms–’cause they’re not Odonates. 🙂
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Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta). Male thorax and abdomen entirely dark blue. Blackish eyes. Clear wings with black stigma. A very widespread dragonfly on pond borders. Thanks, Jim. Greetings to Patty.
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Ooh! Nice one! Good start in macro lens shooting with either a male Blue Dasher or Eastern Pondhawk. I lean toward the latter–no yellowish in wings.
Experts please vote.
Tom B.






5 comments
Tom Burr
Bob – Actually you were probably right in the first place. And I agree that IDing from single photos is probably dangerous. But at least we can have fun arguing about these things.
Tom http://www.bioman10.blogspot.com
BobG
Tom… you could easily be right on the Blue dasher. If you could see thoracic thin dorsal bars and stripes and yellow laterals, it would be a dasher. The dasher’s eyes would be greener than the slaty’s; and the face white. Unfortunately, none of these things can be seen (well)in the photo. So, I think that I’ll stop trying to i.d. odes from a single photo and go back to keeping my mouth shut unless I have the critter in hand. Does Jim Wright have a net? 🙂
//Bob//
Tom Burr
OK, I give up–no more Odonate ID for me! That thing surely doesn’t look “slaty” enough for my taste–much too light! I think I just go eat worms–’cause they’re not Odonates. 🙂
BobG
Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta). Male thorax and abdomen entirely dark blue. Blackish eyes. Clear wings with black stigma. A very widespread dragonfly on pond borders. Thanks, Jim. Greetings to Patty.
Tom Burr
Ooh! Nice one! Good start in macro lens shooting with either a male Blue Dasher or Eastern Pondhawk. I lean toward the latter–no yellowish in wings.
Experts please vote.
Tom B.