{"id":71991,"date":"2020-07-17T05:14:03","date_gmt":"2020-07-17T11:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=71991"},"modified":"2026-03-17T13:58:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T18:58:14","slug":"twelve-spotted-skimmer-dragonfly-other-things-with-wings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/07\/17\/twelve-spotted-skimmer-dragonfly-other-things-with-wings\/","title":{"rendered":"Twelve-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly – Other Things With Wings"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MaleMale Twelve-spotted Skimmer dragonfly in northern Utah – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyone who knows me, even just a little bit, knows I can’t resist photographing dragonflies when I don’t have birds in my viewfinder. Sometimes even when there are birds nearby.<\/p>\n

Before I developed my passion, aka obsession, for photographing birds and prior to purchasing my long lenses I could be found walking around gardens and wild areas of Florida photographing flowers, spiders, butterflies, bees, and dragonflies. I learned there that if I walked slowly and moved cautiously I could photograph the bees, butterflies, and dragonflies even with a simple point & shoot camera.<\/p>\n

Now that I have longer lenses there are times I can easily photograph dragonflies from mobile blinds.<\/p>\n

\"MaleMale Twelve-spotted Skimmer above a deceased Variegated Meadowhawk – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

For a bit it was also hanging around a deceased Variegated Meadowhawk dragonfly that was hung up in a spider web that was wrapped around a cattail.<\/p>\n

Until five days ago I’d never photographed a Twelve-spotted Skimmer.<\/p>\n

\"RestingResting male Twelve-spotted Skimmer dragonfly – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1000, ISO 400, +0.7 EV, <\/span>Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I do wish the Twelve-spotted Skimmer had turned around to look at me when it flew to the top of the cattail but I am glad I had it in my viewfinder even for a short period of time.<\/p>\n

\"Eight-spottedEight-spotted Skimmer male \u2013 Nikon D810, f11, 1\/500, ISO 400, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

We also have Eight-spotted Skimmer dragonflies in northern Utah that look very similar to the Twelve-spotted Skimmers so I thought I would share a photo of one for visual comparison. Looking at the two dragonflies quickly a person might think that they are the same species but differences stand out if you count the dark spots on their wings!<\/p>\n

Eight-spotted Skimmers (Libellula forensis<\/em>) have two large, dark patches or spots per wing and Twelve-spotted Skimmers (Libellula pulchella<\/em>) have three per wing.<\/p>\n

What can I say? I love birds the most but I also enjoy photographing other things with wings.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":172276,"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_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1148,1022,5363,697,10233,26],"tags":[4004,4098,5366,2204,5364,10239,1446,5365,7412,2558,4104,4156,7474,4697,5117,7411,10238],"class_list":["post-71991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-davis-county-utah","category-eight-spotted-skimmers","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-twelve-spotted-skimmer-dragonflies","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-desert","tag-dragonflies","tag-dragonfly","tag-eight-spotted-skimmer","tag-eight-spotted-skimmer-dragonfly","tag-great-basin","tag-libellula-forensis","tag-libellula-pulchella","tag-odonata","tag-perched","tag-resting","tag-seep","tag-skimmer","tag-skimmers","tag-twelve-spotted-skimmer","tag-twelve-spotted-skimmer-dragonfly"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t