The Eastern Pondhawk (male)  Erythemis simplisicollis

The only North American Pondhawk to inhabit Indiana.  The habitat of this dragonfly is ponds, lakes and streams which is the subject of this blog.

 

 

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The black spots on the leading edges of the forewing and hind wing, near the tip, are called the Stigma.  They are thickened parts of the wings that minimize vibration of the wing when the dragonflies are gliding.  This along with the ability of the dragon fly to rotate the angle of the forewing, creating more lift on the hindwing, allows the dragonfly to glide on wings too small for that occur, in theory.  Dragonflies have had 250 million years to perfect their flying abilities tracing their ancestry back to the Carboniferous Era when their wingspan was 28".

Blue Dasher, male.