Dragonflies.



Some kind of meadowhawk...
perched on a tiger lily bud.



Dragonflies are wonderful creatures. Most of the time, we don't notice them unless we are in a really bad mosquito year (like this one). 

Dragonflies are also remarkable feats of natural engineering - they can fly more than 50 km/h, have keen eyes which make them a formidable predator, and have the maneuverability of a helicopter, thanks to the design of their wings (they can hover and fly in all directions).



Superior wing design and mutlifaceted eyes.

 Alberta is home to many species of dragonflies and damselflies. Identifying them can be very tricky, as completely unrelated species will often have similar coloration, while closely related species might have very distinct coloring.

Most dragonflies you will see are either skimmers (like the meadowhawk in the first picture) or darners (often blue/black... I tend to find dead ones which make for very ugly pictures).

Skimmers are smaller than darners and often have a red/brown color scheme. Darners are the elusive behemoths that you hear before you see them, buzzing in like drones to go after prey (mosquitos, flies, moths, skimmers...). Skimmers are usually less than 2 inches long, while darners can be 3 inches long with a 4 inch wingspan!



Spreadwing damselfly.



Damselflies are significantly smaller than dragonflies (about 1 inch and very dainty), and not usually seen in cities. When perched, their wings are either closed, or held away from the body, while dragonflies leave their wings flat.

Both dragonflies and damselflies lay their eggs in water; the dragonfly spends most of it's life span in the water as a larva (nymph). The nymphs are voracious predators, and will feed on anything they can (including mosquito larva!).

July in Alberta was a mosquito nightmare... August, not nearly so much. Personally, I find it satisfying to watch these winged-wonders zipping around, knowing that it's thanks to them I can now enjoy sitting on my deck with few to no mosquitos.


Males fighting - reminds me of a dogfight between
Snoopy and the Red Baron...