Great Blue Skimmer

Libellula vibrans

The Great Blue Skimmer is a beautiful dragonfly with bright blue wings and a shiny body. It loves to fly around ponds and lakes, catching tiny insects to eat.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Great Blue Skimmer has a robust body, with adult males displaying a distinctive powdery blue coloration across their abdomen and thorax. Its wings are clear, often with a subtle amber tint at the base, setting it apart from other skimmers by its uniform blue and clear wing pattern.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderOdonataFamilyLibellulidaeGenusLibellula

Great Blue Skimmer

Interesting facts

Dragonflies are ancient insects, having existed on Earth before the first dinosaurs appeared!

Dragonfly larvae, called nymphs, live underwater for years before they emerge to fly!

Their wings are incredibly strong, allowing them to fly even if one wing is slightly damaged.

They are excellent pest controllers, eating thousands of mosquitoes and gnats.

Special abilities

Great Blue Skimmer has huge compound eyes that help them spot tiny prey and hidden predators in nearly all directions at once.

Great Blue Skimmer can hover, dart, and fly backward because of its two sets of independently controlled wings.

Great Blue Skimmer nymphs can blend perfectly with pond debris because of their dull, mottled bodies, avoiding detection.

Measurements & details

Wingspan: 75-110 mm
Size: 50-70 mm
Lifespan: 30-90 days
Flight Speed: 35 km/h
Leg Count: 6

Diet & Feeding

This insect is an expert aerial hunter, catching other flying insects in mid-air!

Age differences: Nymphs eat aquatic insects and tadpoles, while adults hunt flying insects.

Primary Foods

mosquitoes
gnats
flies
moths
small butterflies

Foraging Method

Pursuit

Ecological connections

hunts

Common Mosquito

Culex pipiens

Actively preys on adult mosquitoes, helping control their populations.

eaten by

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Birds often snatch adult skimmers from the air as a food source.

eaten by

Largemouth Bass

Micropterus salmoides

Largemouth bass frequently consume dragonfly nymphs in freshwater habitats.

Traits

Solitary

Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.

Aerial

Aerial creatures spend a significant portion of their lives airborne, utilizing flight for various activities such as hunting, migration, or nesting.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.