We spotted this Common Green Darner (Anax junius) laying eggs in a submerged cattail stalk in the Crystal Pond, a seep pond up above the Stone House.
I've been learning about these not-so-little guys: The adults migrate south in the fall, sometimes as far as Mexico. Their off-spring migrate north in the spring. The aquatic larvae, called naiads, are aggressive predators, eating tadpoles, fish, and other insects. The adults catch & eat flying insects, including mosquitoes.
The naiads crawl up on emergent vegetation to molt, which they do several times before earning their wings. The naiads can overwinter under ice; some take several years to mature.
So this lovely female pictured here may have just arrived, having traveled from points south. Or possibly, she was already here as an egg & then a naiad and has just emerged. She may have grown tired of the water and wants to see what the sky is all about!
Happy flying, young lady. And please specialize in mosquitoes!
The accompaniments to her star turn were provided by Western Chorus Frogs, Northern Cardinal, Northern Cricket Frog, & Seep Overflow.
Is this like the one we saw Sunday?
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