The Long-legged Green Darner, a dragonfly also known as the Comet Darner, is a good example of how strikingly beautiful these animals can be. Its head and middle section, called the thorax, are an iridescent green. This species can be seen flying rapidly near coastal plain ponds from Massachusetts to Florida. At the other end of the spectrum, in both color and size, is the Dwarf Skimmer. This pale blue dragonfly is the smallest dragonfly in North America, barely reaching an inch long.
Females are yellow and brown.
The Dwarf Skimmer had not been seen in Virginia since 1890 until DCR Division of Natural Heritage staff biologists discovered two populations in Caroline County in 1993. The Dwarf Skimmer inhabits bogs and boggy ponds and may be seen in flight from May to August. This species is extremely rare in Virginia. The Southern Sprite is a damselfly of a dark metallic green, with touches of pale blue on the sides of the thorax and the tip of the abdomen. It is a very slender and delicate species that may be around an inch in length.