Dragonflies at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
/The lotuses and water lilies are blooming at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens from late June into July. The wetlands are attractive to dragonflies too; I saw 5 different kinds when I went on a late June weekend. I found a good reference to help me identify them from Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources.
The first one we saw – and the most numerous – were the blue dashers. They like to perch on the vegetation in the lotus and water lily ponds.
Along the boardwalk out into the Anacostia River wetlands, there were quiet a few autumn meadowhawks. They weren’t as good about staying put for a picture as the blue dashers.
Also on the boardwalk, there was a common whitetail with black bands on its wings.
There was a green eastern pondhawk on a sunny spot of the boardwalk as we were walking back along the boardwalk.
It wasn’t until I got home as was looking at my pictures that I realized I had photographed another type of dragonfly among the lotuses: a common baskettail. It was a pleasant surprise!
Tomorrow I’ll post the other images from our walk around Kenilworth Gardens.
