Leonard Weber

July 1, 2024

Dragonfly watching is challenging. They may not be small for insects, but they are often on the fly — and are fast flyers. When they perch, they are not easy to spot. 

I am not well-informed about many of the dragonflies of Eliza Howell Park, but I do have a few that I am getting to know better each year.

Here are five dragonfly species found in Eliza Howell Park, all members of the skimmer family. (Some have “skimmer” in the name; some do not.)

1. Common Whitetail

The female Common Whitetail (not pictured here) has spots on the wings, but does not have a white abdomen.

2. Twelve-spotted Skimmer

Dragonflies have four wings and the nature, color, and location of spots on the wings are often noteworthy.

The twelve spots are the dark spots (3 on each of 4 wings). The female also has the 12 dark spots, but not the light colored ones.

3. Four-spotted Skimmer

The difference in appearance between the female and the male is not significant in the Four-spotted Skimmer.

The coloring of the wings is distinctive in this species. Here is the same photo in close-up.

4. Widow Skimmer

I tend to see the female Widow Skimmer more often than the male. Both sexes have a dark spot on each wing next to the abdomen.

The adult male (not shown here) has a large white spot on the wings in addition to the dark spot.

The next photo is of a Widow Skimmer that has some characteristics of a female, but it might be an immature male.

5. Black Saddlebags

A member of the skimmer family that somewhat resembles a Widow Skimmer is Black Saddlebags. The name comes from the resemblance of the dark spots on the hindwings to saddlebags.

Both sexes are similar in appearance. The fascinating saddlebags call for a close-up.

There are many other dragonflies in Eliza Howell Park. These five are both common enough and distinctive enough to be on my list of ones to get to know.