Western Pondhawk

On 12 July 2020 and again on 24 July, we found Western Pondhawks in our yard. The top image is of a female, the bottom is a male. Our property really is not prime dragonfly habitat, being about a mile from three or four ponds from which a dragonfly might emerge. Both the Western Pondhawk and its Eastern counterpart usually prefer wetlands. Surprisingly few dragonflies inhabit our surrounding woods, so I suppose the open area around our house must attract traveling pondhawks. Dragonflies are renown for their ability to disperse and colonize. A long term project for me is to build a few shallow ponds in hopes of attracting breeding Odonata. In any case, young male Western Pondhawks look like the female. The males slowly acquire their blue color as they age, although often green can remain visible on their thorax.