Posts Tagged: flameskimmer dragonfly
Just a Sweat Bee Foraging on a Black-Eyed Susan
"Sweat bees have earned their common name from the tendency, especially of the smaller species,to alight on one's skin and lap up perspiration for both its moisture and salt content." So write University of California scientists in their award-winning book, California Bees and Blooms, a Guide for...
A sweat bee, Halictus ligatus, foraging on a Black-E
The sweat bee, Halictus ligatus, moves around the Black-Eyed Susan. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The sweat bee, Halictus ligatus, covered with pollen, takes flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A flameskimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata, munches on a sweat bee, Halictus ligatus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Like a Lens to a Flame
It's a delight to see the flameskimmer dragonfly (Libellula saturata). This male made its appearance in our Vacaville pollinator garden on May 17, and hung around long enough for me to capture several images. Like a lens to a flame... When folks talk about seeing "a red dragonfly,"...
The male flameskimmer dragonfly (Libellula saturata) is firecracker red. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A different angle, but the same gorgeous flameskimmer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
My Old Flame: Looking for Love or a Fast-Food Snack or a Little Sun
Looking for love...or a fast-food snack...or a little sun... A male flameskimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata, is a sight to see. The males are fire-engine red or firecracker red, and when they perch on a bamboo stake in your pollinator garden, establishing temporary residency, it's absolutely...
A male flameskimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata, perches on a bamboo stake in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The flameskimmer's wings shimmer in the morning light. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Fire and Fury in a Pollinator Garden
Just call it "Fire and Fury in a Pollinator Garden." That would be the firecracker red flameskimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata. They fly into our pollinator garden in Vacaville, Calif., attracted by the lily-padded pond and the all-you-can-eat buffet of flying insects. They snag their prey in...
A male flameskimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata, perches on a bamboo stake. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Flameskimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata, about to take flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A brisk breeze stirs the wings of a flameskimmer dragonfly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Meet Big Red, the Flameskimmer
Big Red visited us for four consecutive days. The red flameskimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata, zigged and zagged into our pollinator garden in Vacaville, Calif. and perched on a bamboo stake for five hours at a time. Occasionally, he'd hunt--lift off and grab a bee or other insect--and return...
A red flameskimmer, Libellula saturata, perches on a bamboo stake. Note the nesting earwigs and bees in the split stake. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A red flameskimmer, Libellula saturata, sparkles in the sun. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Helicopter? No, a red flameskimmer, Libellula saturata, glimmering in the sunlight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A flameskimmer,Libellula saturata, in flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)