Roseate Skimmer

One of the most common dragonflies at the Gilbert Water Ranch these days is the Roseate Skimmer.  The color of the male shows aptness of the name:

A male Roseate Skimmer resting on its favorite perch.

The female is more cryptically colored, as one would expect.  Here's an example:

A female Roseate Skimmer at the Gilbert Water Ranch.

Notice the large "flange" near the tip of the abdomen.  This is where the eggs come out!

Here's a group of three Roseates, two females and one male, just hanging out near Roseate Bay.  The male is the one at the bottom, lacking a flange.

It's interesting to be able to see so many of these dragonflies of different sex and at different stages of maturation all in one compact location.