Species Spotlight: American Rubyspot

The American Rubyspot is an impressive damselfly.  It is fairly large for a damselfly, and has dazzling "ruby" spots at the base of its wings.  Here is a look at the male of the species:



Here's another view, with a Blue-ringed Dancer in the background:



When an American Rubyspot wants to fend off a rival, it flicks its wings open to flash the ruby spots.  It also bends the tip of its abdomen forward, and opens its appendages, in a "stinging" threat pose. In the next photo we see an American Rubyspot fending off a California Dancer that would like to perch on the same stem: