Costa Rica: Familiar Friends

We had a delightful time Costa Rica, enjoying the scenery, wildlife, and friendly people. We found a few odonates, and some were rather familiar to us. For example, we ran across this Familiar Bluet on a small pond on a coffee plantation:



As its name suggests, the Familiar Bluet is a common and frequently seen damselfly, especially in Arizona where they are already out in significant numbers.

The next day, we discovered a Carmine Skimmer, which is found in the United States, and is very similar to the Roseate Skimmers we see frequently in Arizona. Here's a picture of the male:



The female was busy laying eggs on some sheet-metal roofing lying on the ground. I guess it was shiny enough, and polarized light enough, to make her think it was water. The male guarded her until she took off for a rest, then he too took time off and perched conveniently for me to take some pictures.