{"id":176424,"date":"2026-06-02T06:19:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T11:19:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=176424"},"modified":"2026-06-02T06:19:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T11:19:44","slug":"female-slaty-skimmer-dragonfly-at-sequoyah-national-wildlife-refuge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2026\/06\/02\/female-slaty-skimmer-dragonfly-at-sequoyah-national-wildlife-refuge\/","title":{"rendered":"Female Slaty Skimmer Dragonfly At Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"RestingResting female Slaty Skimmer dragonfly at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge \u2013 Canon R7, beanbag, f9, 1\/500, ISO 800, -1.7 EV, Canon RF 100-500mm at 500m, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

As I drove the auto tour route at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge yesterday, I was delighted to find a resting female Slaty Skimmer dragonfly in nice light.<\/p>\n

When I got close to the dragonfly, she was perched on a vine at the edge of the dusty gravel road. With no one coming down the road from either direction, I was able to take my time photographing her.<\/p>\n

The males of this skimmer species have dark blue bodies, blackish heads, and dark eyes. As you can see, the females are quite different and beautiful.<\/p>\n

\"SlatySlaty Skimmer dragonfly female perched on a vine in Oklahoma \u2013 Canon R7, beanbag, f8, 1\/1000, ISO 800, -1.7 EV, Canon RF 100-500mm at 500m, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I haven’t seen any male Slaty Skimmers at the refuge yet but to be fair I haven’t spent much time where I can see them lighting on vegetation near the water.<\/p>\n

That is partly due to the fact that the invasive Johnson Grass is already taller than my Jeep in some spots, and I can’t get a clear view. It’s still spring. I can’t imagine what the refuge will be like in the middle of summer because of that grass.<\/p>\n

I’m glad this female Slaty Skimmer dragonfly<\/span><\/a> gave me great views of her out in the open yesterday.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my insect and spider images.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I drove the auto tour route at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge yesterday, I was delighted to find a resting female Slaty Skimmer dragonfly in nice light.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":176417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13973,13974,15267],"tags":[4004,14190,13984,5366,2204,4070,15276,2558,4104,4156,15275,15277,165,11722],"class_list":["post-176424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oklahoma","category-sequoyah-national-wildlife-refuge","category-slaty-skimmer-dragonflies","tag-adult","tag-bottomland-hardwood-forest","tag-bottomlands","tag-dragonflies","tag-dragonfly","tag-female","tag-libellula-incesta","tag-odonata","tag-perched","tag-resting","tag-slaty-skimmer","tag-slaty-skimmer-dragonfly","tag-spring","tag-vine"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/slaty-skimmer-dragonfly-female-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-1548.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-JTy","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":129942,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/07\/02\/slaty-skimmer-dragonfly-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":176424,"position":0},"title":"Slaty Skimmer Dragonfly Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 2, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I took photos of Slaty Skimmer dragonflies the other day at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma and wanted to share them with you all.","rel":"","context":"In "American Lotus"","block_context":{"text":"American Lotus","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/trees-shrubs-and-flowers\/wildflowers\/american-lotus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lotus flower bud and male Slaty Skimmer dragonfly, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/slaty-skimmer-dragonfly-adult-male-mia-mcpherson-6475.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/slaty-skimmer-dragonfly-adult-male-mia-mcpherson-6475.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/slaty-skimmer-dragonfly-adult-male-mia-mcpherson-6475.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/slaty-skimmer-dragonfly-adult-male-mia-mcpherson-6475.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":130326,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/07\/08\/blue-dasher-dragonfly-photo-and-video\/","url_meta":{"origin":176424,"position":1},"title":"Blue Dasher Dragonfly Photo And Video","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 8, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm a bird photographer who sometimes can't resist photographing other things with wings which includes this male Blue Dasher dragonfly I saw yesterday morning.","rel":"","context":"In "Blue Dasher Dragonflies"","block_context":{"text":"Blue Dasher Dragonflies","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/blue-dasher-dragonflies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Blue Dasher dragonfly at Sequoyah NWR, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/blue-dasher-dragonfly-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-9895.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/blue-dasher-dragonfly-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-9895.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/blue-dasher-dragonfly-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-9895.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/blue-dasher-dragonfly-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-9895.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":104416,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/07\/20\/female-eight-spotted-skimmer-dragonfly\/","url_meta":{"origin":176424,"position":2},"title":"Female Eight-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Earlier this week my last subject of the morning was a female Eight-spotted Skimmer dragonfly that landed in front of me next to a creek in the mountains.","rel":"","context":"In "Davis County"","block_context":{"text":"Davis County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/davis-county-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Resting female Eight-spotted Skimmer dragonfly, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Eight-spotted-Skimmer-Wasatch-Mountains-mia-mcpherson-6272.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Eight-spotted-Skimmer-Wasatch-Mountains-mia-mcpherson-6272.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Eight-spotted-Skimmer-Wasatch-Mountains-mia-mcpherson-6272.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Eight-spotted-Skimmer-Wasatch-Mountains-mia-mcpherson-6272.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":71991,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/07\/17\/twelve-spotted-skimmer-dragonfly-other-things-with-wings\/","url_meta":{"origin":176424,"position":3},"title":"Twelve-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly – Other Things With Wings","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Five days ago I photographed a lifer dragonfly when I found a male Twelve-spotted Skimmer that was hanging around a spring-fed seep next to a gravel road in Box Elder County.","rel":"","context":"In "Box Elder County"","block_context":{"text":"Box Elder County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/box-elder-county-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Resting male Twelve-spotted Skimmer dragonfly, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/twelve-spotted-skimmer-dragonfly-male-mia-mcpherson-3231.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/twelve-spotted-skimmer-dragonfly-male-mia-mcpherson-3231.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/twelve-spotted-skimmer-dragonfly-male-mia-mcpherson-3231.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/twelve-spotted-skimmer-dragonfly-male-mia-mcpherson-3231.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":114113,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/07\/04\/female-and-male-common-whitetail-dragonfly-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":176424,"position":4},"title":"Female And Male Common Whitetail Dragonfly Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 4, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Last month, while visiting Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma, I was able to take quite a few female and male Common Whitetail dragonfly photos.","rel":"","context":"In "Common Whitetail"","block_context":{"text":"Common Whitetail","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/common-whitetail\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Common Whitetail dragonfly on a fallen tree, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/common-whitetail-dragonfly-male-oklahoma-mia-mcpherson-2739.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/common-whitetail-dragonfly-male-oklahoma-mia-mcpherson-2739.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/common-whitetail-dragonfly-male-oklahoma-mia-mcpherson-2739.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/common-whitetail-dragonfly-male-oklahoma-mia-mcpherson-2739.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":114483,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/07\/18\/american-lotus-and-dragonflies\/","url_meta":{"origin":176424,"position":5},"title":"American Lotus And Dragonflies","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Today's post is about American Lotus, dragonflies, and the rich habitat of Reeve's Slough at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Oklahoma.","rel":"","context":"In "American Lotus"","block_context":{"text":"American Lotus","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/trees-shrubs-and-flowers\/wildflowers\/american-lotus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Eastern Pondhawk on a lotus leaf, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/sequoyah-nwr-eastern-pondhawk-dragonfly-male-mia-mcpherson-9584.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/sequoyah-nwr-eastern-pondhawk-dragonfly-male-mia-mcpherson-9584.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/sequoyah-nwr-eastern-pondhawk-dragonfly-male-mia-mcpherson-9584.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/sequoyah-nwr-eastern-pondhawk-dragonfly-male-mia-mcpherson-9584.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176424"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176426,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176424\/revisions\/176426"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}