A Widow Skimmer dragonfly at the Roseville Community Garden on June 16, 2012. (click to enlarge)
I was working at the garden yesterday (weeding…my usual task the last few days – more on that later tonight) when this incredible dragonfly zipped by and landed on a weed-filled plot adjoining mine. Believe it or not, these pictures do not do it justice. It was truly a thing of beauty. Glad I had the camera along to snap these pictures.
Amazingly, there are more species of dragonflies in Sussex County, New Jersey (145 – out of a possible 182 in NJ) than any other county in the United States, according to the Sussex County web site. The site states “Dragonflies, by definition, are stout and large bodied with round heads and eyes covering much of the top and sides of the head. The forewings and hind wings are different shapes and are held straight out to the sides while resting. They are strong fliers…. In New Jersey, the season for dragonflies and damselflies runs from April through October although the best month for spotting the most species would be June.”
Another angle of the Widow Skimmer dragonfly at the Roseville Community Garden on June 16, 2012. (click to enlarge)