Dragonhunter

Dragonhunter Hagenius brevitylus

A great name for a dragonfly. A big insect with a distinctive kink at the tail end which makes the a doddlle to ID in flight. As you might have guessed they like to munch other dragonflies which probably makes them unpopular at dragonfly get togethers. I see them easily in Mt Tremblant Park on the streams.

A true summer insect, on the wing from mid June to August unless the weathers lousy.

Dot-tailed Whiteface

Dot-tailed Whiteface Leucorrhinia intacta

A common species out west of Montreal, abundant at many wetland sites including St-Lazare sand pits, Saddlebrook Bog and Dundee.

Helpful ID features include the dot on the tail and the white face.

Flight period Mid May to late August.

Eastern Pondhawk

Eastern Pondhawk Erythemis simplicicollis

A great looking insect where both sexes are quite stunning in their own way. A common species in Southern Quebec and easy to find on well vegetated ponds.

Flies late June to early September.

The blue ones are males, green females.

Blue Dasher

Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis

Rare in Quebec and not mentioned in Les Odonates du Quebec by Pilon & Lagace. I'm pretty sure I photographed this insect at Dundee, certainly in our part of Quebec so they do occur. Probably like most insects, particularly odonata, they are spreading north. Something to look for next season.

Flight period June to the beginning of September, good luck.

Chalk-fronted Corporal

Chalk-fronted Corporal Ladona julia

A very common species around Southern Quebec favouring boggy ponds to breed in. A great one for landing on roads and tracks, often in numbers. The shape of the insect is quite distinctive although there are confusion species such as Frosted Whiteface.

A flier in late May through July.

Two males top, two females bottom.

Ebony Jewelwing

Ebony Jewelwing Calopteryx maculata

Found along brisk little streams with a gravel or rocky bottom, weed strands and plenty of bankside vegetation. These pretty little half damsel half dragonflies are usually seen bouncing along on blobby looking wings, the males looking for females to date, or other males to give a good kicking to. We should get River Jewelwing too locally although I have yet to find one.

A June to August species and probably like most calopteryx species, tolerant of some level of pollution.

The top photo is a male, the bottom, female.

Twelve-spotted Skimmer

Twelve-spotted Skimmer Libellula pulchella

Not uncommon in our area (Montreal and south) but fairly local. A very good place to to see this special insect is from the boarwalk at I'le Bizzard. They are such distinctive insects that they are noticed by even the environmentally challenged i.e 99% of the population.

Twelve-spots fly June to August.

The top two photos are males, the bottom three females.