One might have thought that with dropping temperatures and turning leaves, dragonflies and damselflies (insects of the order Odonata) would have vanished. Yet, while October is their last stand of the year, some remain. Admittedly, they seem to spend a great deal of time seeking sunny spots.
Below are a handful of Odonata seen in the last week and a half.
The Pale Snaketail is seen around the shore of Kootenay Lake frequently during the summer and early fall where it is often seen hunting from a resting place on a low surface. The female lacks an ovipositor and is seen here apparently resting between dropping her eggs (yellow mass at the tip of the abdomen).
Most of the dragonflies I see at this time of year are meadowhawks. These are much smaller than the snaketail and the males are generally coloured in red and black. One exception is the Black Meadowhawk, which shows no red. The male is shown first.
This is a female Black Meadowhawk. She starts the season in much lighter shades, but by now is quite dark.
During the summer, the only damselfly I see around the Lake is the Tule Bluet. But, here are two Spotted Spreadwings, the female first, the male second. Typically, this is the last spreadwing to fly in the fall.
I suspect that these are the last Odonata I will see until late spring of next year.