Skimmers
Family Libellulidae
Genus Tramea
Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina)



Similar species – Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta).


Flight season: unknown, not a breeding resident in this area.

Population: rare and seldom encountered.

Length: about 50 mm. Can be confused with the Red Saddlebags, particularly the females.


West of Tweed, Ontario, a high and dry field along the trans-Canada Trail: a dry field with sandy soil supporting short drought tolerant grasses, Sweetfern and Rubus spp.
Immature female Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina) – this dragonfly's prescence here is a bit of a mystery as it is a young insect not far past its teneral stage. Although Saddlebags are strong fliers capable of traversing long distances, there are limits to how far an immature dragonfly can travel and there are no currently known breeding populations nearby (September 11, 2015).




Dorsal and ventral aspects of the terminal abdominal segments (September 11, 2015).