Western Pondhawk: The Dragonfly With The Groucho Marx Moustache

Yesterday, Betsy and I visited Wild Horse Pass, a very nice birding and dragonflying area.  Here's what it looks like as you enter the area.

Notice the running water in the background on the right.  The whole Wild Horse Pass area consists of a stream with water sometimes running over rapids, and sometimes running so slow as to look stationary.

One of the most common dragonflies in the area yesterday were the Western Pondhawks, a beautiful blue dragonfly that looks a lot like a Blue Dasher.  Probably the most prominent difference is that the Western Pondhawk has a green face and the Blue Dasher has a white face.  Here's a look at a male Western Pondhawk.

Notice the dark blue eyes, and the green face.  When you get a better look at the face, you'll see that the Western Pondhawk has a nice black moustache.  Here it is:

Perhaps I shouldn't mention it, but the female – who is all green – also has a moustache.

Shortly before we left we noticed a Western Pondhawk eating a damselfly, probably a Familiar Bluet.  It was enjoying an obviously juicy meal.