Pacific Forktail

Pacific Forktails are abundant damselflies of western Canada, western United States, and northwestern Mexico. They are found in almost any pool with vegetation, even small ponds in city parks. We found these forktails in a barrow pit about a mile from our house in Olympia. The first is a male, the second is a young, andromorph female. I have posted on this phenomenon before, where females look somewhat like males—an andromorph—or have distinct coloration—a heteromorph. The advantage of looking like a female is fairly obvious. That way males easily recognize with whom to mate, and the job gets accomplished with relative ease. The advantage of being a female who looks like a male is less obvious. A female only needs to have her eggs fertilized once. After fertilization, not being harassed by males may be to the advantage of a weary female. Recently a report was published of female dragonflies playing dead to avoid obnoxious males.