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Photo#59704
Blue-fronted Dancer - Argia apicalis - female

Blue-fronted Dancer - Argia apicalis - Female
Wyalusing State Park, Grant County, Wisconsin, USA
June 23, 2006
This was taken at the top of a bluff overlooking the Wisconsin River (500-600 feet up), just short of where it meets up with the Mississippi. I've uploaded two images of damselflies that I found in the dirt there. I'm not sure if they are a pair or two separate species that just happen to be in the same place at the same time. The photo was taken a little after 4:00 p.m. They both have spots on the wings and the eyes seem similar, but the coloration is definitely different.

Moved

Three clues we use
1) Damsel landed horizontally on surface
2) She holdes her wings above the abdomen
3) Dark stripe on side of thorax "Y" shaped or pinched shut.
Yours is three for three. We say genus Argia.
It's a female, and we would say blue form female of the Blue Fronted Dancer, Argia apicalis.
Another book we would recommend for you (if we haven't already) is Damselflies of the North Woods by Bob DuBois, part of the North Woods Naturalist Series. It has wonderful photos by Wisconsonian Mike Reese (who also has great damsel images on his Wisconsin Butterfly website.)

 
Damsel
Thx for your help. You did recommend that book and I do intend to purchase it when I get a chance. I've seen some of his photos already and know the work is good.

Two different damsels...
...these are two different damselflies, I believe, rather than male and female of the same species.

Odonata Central (http://odonatacentral.bfl.utexas.edu) has checklists by state and by county; I looked up your county and that cuts down the possibilities considerably (though you might have a stray from a neighboring county, of course.) Though at the moment I don't have time to search BugGuide's pages for those species, I suspect that some image here will fit, when you, or I, or someone, has time to chase down the Grant County, WI species. I'm guessing one of them is a dancer (Argia sp. and the other might be, or might be a bluet (Enallagma sp.) You're way out of my geographical range, though, so I can't use my favorite "south central" guide.

Elizabeth

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