Widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa)
Images copyright by Mark A. Chappell
Widow skimmers are striking dragonflies, especially the males with their white and black wing patches. Females generally lack the white wing markings, but have brilliant green-gold abdominal stripes. The ones with purplish abdomens and wings with black tips but no white areas are juvenile females (I think). These individuals were photographed near Manhattan, Kansas, where they were very abundant around permanent pools in early summer.
