Species Spotlight: Comet Darner

When we visited Virginia a couple years ago, we were delighted to come across Comet Darners for the first time. These are large, impressive dragonflies, with bold red and green colors. Here's a male perched in a tree:



Notice the bi-color pattern on the body—bright red on the abdomen, dark green on the thorax and head. This is similar to the bi-color pattern of the Common Green Darner, though in that case the abdomen is blue. Not surprisingly, these two species are in the same genus. The Comet Darner's scientific name is Anax longipes, while the scientific name of the Common Green Darner is Anax junius.

Here's another look at the Comet Darner, this time with a bit more of a side view.



Take a look at the long, robust red legs. Quite impressive. I'm sure this dragonfly is an aggressive hunter, and one that is capable of grappling with large powerful prey.