California Darner Images

California Darner Images, Facts and Information:

Rhionaeschna californica

• California Darners are large, fast-flying dragonflies with long slender bodies, bright blue and black coloration, and clear wings with dark crossveins. Males have vivid blue markings on the abdomen, while females often show green or brown tones.
• California Darner dragonflies are native to western North America and occur from British Columbia south through California and into Baja California. They inhabit lakes, ponds, slow streams, and wetlands, especially those bordered by reeds or wooded areas.
• California Darners are aerial predators that feed on mosquitoes, midges, flies, and other small flying insects, which they capture and consume in flight.
• Females lay eggs in aquatic vegetation or floating debris, and larvae, called naiads, develop underwater, feeding on small aquatic insects and larvae before emerging as adults in spring or early summer.
• California Darner dragonflies are most often seen patrolling low over open water or along shorelines on warm sunny days.
• A group of dragonflies can be called a “cluster” or a “flight” of dragonflies.

I hope you enjoy viewing my California Darner dragonfly photos.