Battle Scars

We have had so much rain lately, but today there was finally a break so I ventured out to see what wildlife I could find.  I saw these two dragonflies chasing each other by the pond’s edge, but then coming back and landing on the same branches they had started from.  Even better, only water was in the background, which made it easier to get them in focus.

Now when I am out taking pictures, I usually can’t get a good look at the subject.  It is so bright out there, and I’m over 40 so I can’t see the little monitor on the camera without reading glasses, but we usually have about 90% humidity so the glasses get fogged up, so I never really know what I have until I look at the pictures on the computer.

When I saw these, I realized that the chaser and “chasee” had been two different species.  I did not know that dragonflies of one species would even notice another, much less bother with them, but:

In general, there are many more males at a given body of water than females.  This is because, in most species, females come to the water only to mate or lay eggs, while males congregate there, waiting for females.  Males defend their territories, so it is not unusual to see males chasing each other off in an attempt to hang on to the most desirable breeding sites.

John C. Abbott in Dragonflies of Texas

So!  I learned something today.

Then, zooming in, I could see marks all over the Blue Dasher’s abdomen.  It seems like the only way he would have gotten these is from his confrontations over territory.