The Meadowlands are abuzz with dragonflies these days. Needham's Skimmers are among the zillion dragonflies and damselflies zipping around.
We could never get one of these guys to sit still long enough to photograph it, but this male hovered enough for us get him in mid-air in DeKorte Park, Lyndhurst (above).
A female Needham's Skimmer is below.
The photos included here were taken in Carlstadt, Little Ferry and Lyndhurst and North Arlington.
Click "continue reading ..." below for more dragonfly shots.
Barge Park, Carlstadt
Mehrhof Pond, Little Ferry
Marsh Discovery Trail, Lyndhurst
I am dubious about this insect (two photos of perched dragonflies) being a cherry-faced meadowhawk or another species of meadowhawk. The photographs of meadowhawks in Nikula et al., A Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Massachusetts, show the red or yellow on the sides of the meadowhawk abdomen meeting in the middle (rather than having a dark stripe down the dorsal aspect of the abdomen), and little or no yellow or red in the leading portions of the wings. I think these are photos of Needham's skimmer, a dragonfly that is common in the Meadowlands.
Posted by: Erik Kiviat | July 06, 2009 at 12:32 PM