The Ravenous Pondhawk

In early October, I encountered this Erythemis simplicicollis, Eastern Pondhawk, with the prey that it had just captured. The Pondhawk was living up to its reputation as a "voracious predator" as it devoured  the female Rambur's Forktail.

Erythemsis simplicicollis with Ischnura ramburii

I was able to view this feast at quite a close range as the preoccupied dragon ignored my presence.

The very next day at the same wetlands, I came across another pondhawk. This time the Pondhawk had captured a female Needham's Skimmer that equaled it in size. This was fascinating for me to see, but unfortunately the duo disappeared into the reeds and I was unable to relocate them.

Erythemsis simplicicollis with a Libellula needhami

The Mate of Gold

The male Libellula needhami, Needham's Skimmer, is a red-orange skimmer found predominantly in the coastal regions along the Atlantic shores of the US. It's found in Florida about 10 months out of the year.

The female lacks the red-orange coloration but in the right lighting conditions she appears to be plated with gold.

This week, my husband accompanied me to the local pond to try and capture some high speed video of a dragonfly. He was able to capture a few take offs and landings of this female Libellula needhami.

Dragonfly from Adventure Online TV on Vimeo.