Springtime Darner

Soon it will be spring officially, tomorrow in fact. The dragonflies will be flying likely on the next real warm day we have.

Here is one of the larger spring dragonflies the Springtime Darner, Basiaeschna janata. The flight time for this 2 -2 1/2 inch dragonfly is mid March until mid May here in eastern North Carolina. It can be ID ed by the blue spots on the abdomen and that it is the only darner like it that flies in the spring, some of the others are fall fliers.

Look for this one along the edges of open fields and woods. it will usually perch no higher than 2 foot off the ground and hang from twigs like in the above photo. On a cooler day you might be able to get a close inspection of this species and perhaps a photo. Once it gets hotter you can find this darner on wing a lot more and you need a good bit of luck to see it perch at all.

Such a beauty once you get a good look. The blue will start to fade as it ages. If your in the eastern US you might just find this guy in a weed lot or field near you.