Life at the Edge of the Sea – Darners and Dragonflies on the Move
This ginormous beauty caught my attention as she was seen hovering, and then flying into the edge of a field of wildflowers and grasses. She appeared to have plucked an insect from the air. On closer inspection, she was hanging vertically from a stalk and eating a small black bug with wings. We know she is a female because she lacks the brilliant blue eyes of the male.
Darners and dragonflies are on the move and Swamp Darners are seen along the East Coast in the fall. Swamp Darners, less frequently called called Wandering Gliders (don’t you prefer this name) can grow to almost four inches in length!
The Swamp Darner is even larger than the more typically seen Common Green Darner
Common Green Darner
For more information on migratory species of North American dragonflies check out this terrific field guide –