Dee At 8 A.M.: Damselflies

Showing posts with label Damselflies. Show all posts

Friday, April 10, 2026

I am an Orange Bluet damselfly

Alas, I am not long for this world

I accidentally flew into a spiderweb

I can't get out, no matter how hard I twirl!

Location: Orlando Wetlands, Christmas FL

Sources: https://dnr.illinois.gov/education/wildaboutpages/wildaboutinvertebrates/wildaboutdamselflies/family-coenagrionidae/wadforangebluet.html

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I am known as a Fragile Forktail Damselfly

I like to hang around on pondweeds or lilypads

My most defining feature is the

Horizontal exclamation marks on my thorax.

Location: Orlando Wetlands, Christmas FL

Sources: https://dnr.illinois.gov/education/wildaboutpages/wildaboutinvertebrates/wildaboutdamselflies/family-coenagrionidae/wadffragileforktail.html

We are Rambur's Forktail Damselflies

And we both have unwanted visitors

We were infested with mites soon after we emerged

And until they are engorged, we remain their prisoners.

(I paid the price for these photos - I was unknowingly - till it was far too late - stood if a fire ant nest while taking these photos. Ouch.)

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10682-021-10130-z

We are two Blue-ringed Dancers

Blue means we're male, brown is young or female

We all have rings on our abdomen

Which you might look at and think that's a tail.

Location: Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2641

Bonus source: More detail than you could ever hope to know regarding how to ID a Damselfly: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/03/Vol-15-No-2.pdf

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson