Q: This summer was the first time I ever saw the type of dragonfly in the photo I’m sending. I read your column today and thought you might be able to tell me about it. — Paulette L.

A: A valuable asset of land grant universities like North Dakota State University, is the ability to access information in many fields. For assistance in identifying your fascinating dragonfly, I asked co-worker Patrick Beauzay, an entomologist with NDSU Extension.

Patrick identified it as a green darner dragonfly with the botanical name Anax junius, and indicated it appears to be a female.

According to a University of Minnesota website, males and females can be distinguished by the colors of the abdomen, with males’ being an intense blue while females’ are reddish brown.

University of Minnesota further

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