Libellules.





°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°               °                                                                                                                                                                                                           

June 2009 -2-


June 11th


Likable "blue".



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Black-tailedSkimmer.
[Orthetrum cancellatum - Libellulidae - Orthetrum] (Orthétrum réticulé).

Here is one which likes to pose.

When this male does not crossing its space at high speed as a blue dart, it likes to alight on promontories or on rocks or lanes. It accept be approached closely without flinching.












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Its female is yellow with two black bands on the abdomen.

I have not met yet a female this year, so I invited this one from August of last year, laying. It was perhaps a relative... it is the same place.





















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Its wings do not have a stain at the base and its pterostigmas are black and slender.











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The male abdomen is covered with blue dust (pruinosity) which covers the two black bands and the yellow sides.













A short remark for this one: it was one of the first dragonfly that I photographed
(Ph. 030609)


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

June 12th



Scarce blue.


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Scarce chaser.
[Libellula fulva --Libellulidae Libellula] (
libellule fauve).

Another "blue" male.

Bases of the hindwings with dark triangles, similar to the broad-bodied chaser, but smaller. The fore wings have a little dark streak.
Gray-blue eyes.


It also likes the promontories in plain view.








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Its female is yellow-orange (fawn). I have not yet found this season.













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This scarce chaser below, is different, it presents an additional dark patch on the wings tip (apex). This spot is not always present in males, as evidenced in the above photos. These dragonflies were photographed at different locations. The "parisian" I have met have no stains. In Seine et Marne I saw both: with and without spots at the wings apex. I wonder the reasons for that, I haven't yet found any information on this topic.


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A funny little detail.
A beautiful fur. And... one leg around the neck!

Probably an old individual, completely blue.














(Ph. 220509 - 020609 - 030609)

These three "big blue" may be confused. So I put all of them abreast.

In order of appearance:

Broad-bodied chaser,                                     Scarce chaser,                                             Black-tailed skimmer.
Four well defined spots                            A triangle on hind wing,                                                    No spots.
on the two pairs of wings.                    a single streak on the fore one.
                                     

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June 15th




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Still some scarce chasers. They aged.
All blue, with beautiful blue eyes. No more brown eyes as when they were younger.


There are fewer. Funny, a lot with the first pair of legs placed behind the eyes.









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The abdomens are marked in black, where the females hung. The blue pruinosity is gone.

It's almost the end of their blue races.
These males will fight always guarding preciously their territory.

A little later, an emperor dragonfly scours his stretch of water, well positioned in the middle and sometimes flying very high in the trees before returning.






A female banded demoiselle waited, quite alone. The little large red damselflies, much less plentiful are also lonely, no more tandems. Besides a large number of azure damselflies.



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(Ph. 120609 Bois de Vincennes)



                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

June 18th

To fly...

The flight of the emperor.

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The Emperor dragonfly. [Anax imperator]
The male patrols his territory. Vast territory, it has reserved an entire elongated body of water that it patrols
from the center, seldom approaching the bank. Almost no hover, ample flight, powerful, at almost constant speed.







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There are hard clashes over the water, endless fights. The Anax spends its energy without restrain.
Finally alight... for a few seconds.  It has defended its territory for a long time, its wings very damaged.








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As it did not posed again, here is one that decided to alight after a very long waiting in June of last year.





(Ph Paris. 260608)


And yet, some photos of laying. The abdomen of the female seems very black now.

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Metallic fight.

.The Brilliant emerald. [Somatochlora metallica] (Chlorocordulie métallique).

We can say that we are acquainted since long time (this one is a male).

I saw it often fly over his territory, and tried vainly to catch it in photos.

It flies fast almost at water level and changes direction constantly. These are not the placid Corduliidae!








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This time, in the sun, it finally allowed be photographed hovering long-time enough. I even had the impression that it was by curiosity that it came close enough to the bank.


His abdomen has a bulb-like bulge, and then abruptly narrows to grow again gradually.












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Its green eyes, shine beautifully in the sun.

It is a shimmering green arrow of 5cm.
















(Ph. Seine et Marne 160609)




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

June19th



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The Black-lined skimmer.
[Orthetrum cancellatum] (
Orthétrum réticulé)
When young, it is yellow with black stripes.
This one alighted in the grass of a meadow, far from water. If he had not flown off briefly, it would have remained invisible in the vegetation. We must not lose it of view during its flight to spot where it lands.










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