Flight season: mid-June to early September.
Population: common and widespread. The largest numbers occur at the marshy north shore of Stoco Lake,
but this dragonfly can be found at any local still water habitat and along the Moira River.
Length: about 35 mm to 40 mm.
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Tweed, Ontario, the north shore Stoco Lake, east of the boat pier and near the pavilion:
marshy shoreline, relatively shallow water with mud bottom supporting sedges and rushes, pondweeds, Fragrant Water Lily, Blue Flag, Sagittaria spp and Pickerelweed.
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Male Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis)
August 06, 2009
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Male Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) –
engaging in a form of behaviour called "obelisking".
This is thought to be a means of body temperature regulation;
the wings are raised at an angle and the abdomen is oriented toward the sun, thereby exposing the insect to less radiation
(August 06, 2009).
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Male Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis)
August 11, 2009
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Teneral female Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis)
August 07, 2009
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Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis), wheel
August 27, 2010
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Tweed, Ontario, about ½ km west of town, a marsh bordering the trans-Canada Trail:
typical local marsh with Cattails, sedges and other emergent vegetation, various small willows, alders, dogwoods and some Tamarack.
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Immature Male Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) –
males begin life as adults looking like the females
and develop their blue-green eyes and the pale powder blue pruinosity on their abdomens as they mature
(July 16, 2010).
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Tweed, Ontario, the Tweed Heritage Center Gardens:
gardens supporting lawns, cultivated flowers and shrubs.
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Views of a female Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) –
some individuals can be found wandering a good distance from water
(August 06, 2010).
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East of Tweed, Ontario, near the intersection of Alexander Street and the trans-Canada Trail:
disturbed field supporting tall grasses and wildflowers, bordered by shrubs and trees with a sand and rock-bottomed creek to the east.
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Female Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) –
despite the blue-green eyes and pruinose abdomen this is indeed a female,
an old one and flying late in the season
(September 08, 2014).
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