An interesting insect that perches on vegetation along the edges of ponds, marshes, and slow-moving rivers. Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia).
Perching on vegetation, watching, waiting, to swoop out to capture mosquitos and other small flying insects in mid-air.
A good insect to have around
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A Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia). This is a male. The female has a brown body and three dark patches per wing. Their diet consists of small insects like mosquitos and gnats. A good thing to have around. They in turn are eaten by various fish, frogs, and birds, and other aquatic insects.
Common Whitetail larvae are aquatic and spend many months or years feeding on other small aquatic insects. At this stage they have a mortality rate of 99.9%. As adults they have a lifespan of just a few weeks.