Wednesday, October 18, 2023,

This is a rather cool-looking dragonfly that I encountered at the Lido Beach Passive Nature Area. I had stopped there after visiting Nickerson Beach, which is practically across the street. Both locations offer a great deal to any intrepid nature lover, but the two places are quite different from each other. It’s amazing that these two fairly differing ecosystems are so close to each other. Perhaps, we’ll discuss those differences in a later post. This post is about this dragonfly.

I had travelled many of the paths at the Passive Nature Area. There’s a lot to see, including several differing habitats. I had seen numerous Herons, Ospreys, and at least two different types of butterflies. I was trekking back to my truck when I came across this beauty. Dragonflies can be somewhat skittish, so after getting the above shot, I carefully circled around for a different vantage point. I managed to work myself to its right without disturbing it. However, the first view was pretty much the same as the second, and I still didn’t know what it was. I mean, I knew it was a dragonfly, but I didn’t know what kind.

Luckily, I know people who know stuff. In almost every instance, if I come across as knowledgeable, it’s a safe bet that someone has coached me. Honest. In this case, it was my friend Michael Farina, who is a Conservationist at the Marine Nature Study Area. Mike is a great guy and really knows his stuff. I reached out to him, and he was able to identify this critter for me. It turns out that this way cool dragonfly is a Green Darner, possibly a juvenile male. How cool is that? I hike around with a camera, and my friends tell me what I’ve captured. Thanks, Mike!  JK