Dragonflies: Can anyone identify this one?

[Cush]

I think it's an Anisoptera. I'm in Northern VA, and it comes around every evening between 4pm - 7pm

[Cush]

1. and another

[soothsayer]

2. No idea, but hi from Arlington! (n/t)

[EstimatedProphet]

3. Probably a good guess

the tail looks like an Anax to me

[Spinzonner]

4. As If all the cat pictures werent enough

Now the place is being infested with insect fanciers.

[amazona]

5. hold on

I'll check my Dragonflies through Binoculars but it's not the most user friendly guide. Just kicking this to hold it up where I can find it again -- hope to back in a few moments.

[amazona]

6. to be honest i think it's female common whitetail

Libellula lydia

Do you know the Common Whitetail? The males have the milk white (very pale tone blue in the white) tails.

Look at plate 28 in Dunkle and tell me what you think. If you have eliminated Common Whitetail, I would appreciate your coming back and explaining why. I am having a difficult time with the dragonflies.

By the way, if anyone knows of a better Dragonfly ID book, please share your secret, because Dunkle drives me crazy. If he was going to use photos, he should have digitized them and removed the backgrounds and adjusted the lighting as Kaufmann does in his bird and butterfly books. Maybe we can impose upon Kaufmann to do a dragonfly book...hmmm.