Blue Dasher

Male Blue Dasher perched on an arcing twig

Center of the Arc
Male Blue Dasher in profile on a bare twig

Trail-Edge Profile
Male Blue Dasher perched on a weathered seedhead

Blue on the Breeze
Male Blue Dasher with green eyes holding its wings open

Green-Eyed Dasher
Male Blue Dasher with red eyes perched in prairie-edge shade

Red-Eyed Watcher
Close view of a male Blue Dasher face, eyes, legs, and wings

Face of a Dasher
Immature Blue Dasher on a twig

Before the Blue

Pachydiplax longipennis

The Blue Dasher is a small skimmer dragonfly with a powder-blue abdomen, clear wings, striped thorax, and bright reflective eyes. It is often associated with ponds, marshes, and wetlands, but adults may perch along nearby prairie edges, trail edges, and shrubby vegetation. In these photos, male Blue Dashers rest on weathered seedheads and bare twigs, offering close views of their wing posture, eye color, thorax patterning, and blue-pruinose abdomen.

For identification details and comparison with similar species, see Pachydiplax longipennis in the Field Notes section.

Center of the Arc

Center of the Arc
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Settings: ISO 800 • Aperture f/10.0 • Shutter 1/320 s
E22A5734 • Size: 2600 x 1733

A male Blue Dasher rests on an arcing twig, holding the classic wings-down posture of a perched skimmer against a leafy green backdrop.

Trail-Edge Profile

Trail-Edge Profile
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Settings: ISO 800 • Aperture f/10.0 • Shutter 1/320 s
E22A5715 • Size: 2900 x 1933

A male Blue Dasher perches from a bare twig along the shaded trail edge, showing red eyes, clear wings, and the powder-blue abdomen of a mature skimmer.

Blue Dasher Perched on a Seed Head

Blue on the Breeze
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Settings: ISO 800 • Aperture f/8.0 • Shutter 1/640 s
E22A5251 • Size: 2200 x 1400

A male Blue Dasher balances on a weathered seedhead, flashing powder-blue color and red eyes against a soft green summer backdrop.

Green-Eyed Dasher

Green-Eyed Dasher
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Settings: ISO 400 • Aperture f/11.0 • Shutter 1/320 s
E22A5682 • Size: 3800 x 2533

A mature male Blue Dasher holds its wings wide from a sunlit twig at the shaded edge of the prairie, showing green eyes, a striped thorax, and a powder-blue abdomen.

Face of a Dasher

Face of a Dasher
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Settings: ISO 800 • Aperture f/10.0 • Shutter 1/320 s
E22A5724-1 • Size: 2100 x 1400

A tight portrait of a male Blue Dasher reveals the red-and-blue compound eyes, pale face, gripping legs, and fine wing venation often missed in a wider perch view.

Face Before the Blue

Face Before the Blue
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Settings: ISO 800 • Aperture f/9.0 • Shutter 1/200 s
E22A6486 • Size: 3000 x 2000

A tight portrait of an immature Blue Dasher shows the same red-and-blue compound eyes, metallic blue simple eyes, pale face, and fine wing detail before the mature male’s powder-blue coloration develops.

Red-Eyed Watcher

Red-Eyed Watcher
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Settings: ISO 800 • Aperture f/10.0 • Shutter 1/320 s
E22A5730 • Size: 4800 x 3200

A male Blue Dasher holds a quiet lookout from a twig, showing red eyes, a striped thorax, and a powder-blue abdomen in the prairie-edge shade.

Before the Blue

Before the Blue
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Settings: ISO 400 • Aperture f/9.0 • Shutter 1/125 s
E22A6470 • Size: 3000 x 2000

A female-form or immature Blue Dasher rests on a twig, showing the yellow-orange abdomen, striped thorax, reddish eyes, and clear wings seen before the mature male’s powder-blue coloration develops.