When I visited my sister in Pennsylvania in June of 2021, I saw this unique dragonfly at Delaware Canal State Park. This is an adult female Common Whitetail. The male has white body with different patterns of wing spots. You can see this female with a brown body which is similar to the ground. I am glad I noticed it and was able to take some pictures. The common whitetail or long-tailed skimmer is a common dragonfly across much of North America. They can be seen hawking for mosquitoes and other small flying insects over ponds, marshes, and slow-moving rivers in most regions.
2021 年 6 月，當我去賓州拜訪我妹妹時，在特拉華運河州立公園看到了這隻獨特的蜻蜓。 這是一隻成年雌性普通白尾蜻。 雄蜻蜓全身則是白色的，有不同圖案的翅斑。 你可以看到這個雌性，有著與地面相似的棕色身體。 我很高興我注意到了它並且能夠拍一些照片。普通白尾蜻是北美大部分地區常見的蜻蜓。在大多數地區，可以看到普通白尾蜻在池塘、沼澤和緩慢流動的河流上獵取蚊子和其他小型飛蟲。
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Notes 筆記
- The common whitetail or long-tailed skimmer is a common dragonfly across much of North America.
- The male's chunky white body (about 5 cm or 2 inches long), combined with the brownish-black bands on its otherwise translucent wings, give it a checkered look. Females have a brown body and a different pattern of wing spots.
- The common whitetail can be seen hawking for mosquitoes and other small flying insects over ponds, marshes, and slow-moving rivers in most regions.
- Every few days, female Plathemis lydia dragonflies will go to ponds in order to lay their eggs, also known as oviposit. Male dragonflies that are defending mating territories at the ponds will then attempt to mate with the female dragonflies. But females reject up to 48.9% of all mating attempts. Due to the need to fight off other males in order to be more successful in breeding, male dragonflies have developed extensive flight muscles.
- 普通白尾蜻是北美大部分地區常見的蜻蜓。
- 雄性的粗壯的白色身體（約 5 公分或 2 英寸長）與半透明翅膀上的棕黑色條紋相結合，使其看起來呈方格狀。雌性有棕色的身體和不同圖案的翅斑。
- 在大多數地區，可以看到普通白尾蜻在池塘、沼澤和緩慢流動的河流上獵取蚊子和其他小型飛蟲。
- 每隔幾天，雌性普通白尾蜻蜓就會去池塘產卵。雄性蜻蜓在池塘保衛交配領地會嘗試與雌性蜻蜓交配。但在所有努力嘗試的交配中，雌性拒絕率高達 48.9%。由於需要打勝其他雄性蜻蜓才能成功地交配繁殖，雄性蜻蜓會發育出強大的飛行肌肉。
Insects Posts 昆蟲的帖子
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Common whitetail