Painted Skimmer

We just returned from a trip back east, where we attended a wedding and saw some interesting birds and odonates. On the ode side of the ledger, we spotted a particularly striking species in a retention pond across the street from our hotel outside of Boston. Here's the pond:



It's interesting how even the most ordinary little pond can be full of life, with turtles, snakes, frogs, dragonflies, damselflies, birds, and many other creatures calling these waters home.

The first dragonfly we saw at the pond was an eastern species that we would never see on the west coast, the Painted Skimmer. Here's a look at this handsome fellow:





I was struck by how similar the abdomen of this species is to the abdomen of the Four-spotted Skimmer we have in the west. Here's the Four-spotted Skimmer for comparison:





Notice especially the similarity in the coloration of the abdomen, and in the shape and white wing veins of the basal wing patches.

Once we got back home we saw many Four-spotted Skimmers, a reminder of our trip back east.