Re: Monster dragonfly

Elliot Richmond wrote:

> This is the largest dragonfly found in central Texas
> 
> Giant Darner: Anax walsinghami 
> 
> http://www.odonatacentral.org/index.php/FieldGuideAction.get/id/45024
> 
> The Giant Darner is not as large as you described, but the colors are
> close. Females are mostly green all over..

The dragonfly I saw was VERY green, nearly the shade I associate with 
green bottle flies.  The only other color I noted was a very dark brown, 
almost black, along the abdomen.  I just had a look at the Giant Darner 
pix on that website, they're mostly blue/brown checked - not even close 
to the color(s) of the dragonfly I saw.

> 
> Is it possible that you overestimated the size a bit? 

Perhaps I overestimated the wingspan but not the length of the body. 
After it startled me by dropping onto my head from the eaves it rested 
in the grass near my feet for nearly a minute.  I tried to sneak under 
it (I have a 9yo who enjoys looking at Nature Under Glass).  I missed 
catching it's abdomen by perhaps an inch before it came to it's senses 
and darted off.  My hand is spot-on 7" from the tip of my longest finger 
to the crease at the base of my palm and this bug was a good inch longer 
than that.

Probably better that it got away and lived to breed another day.