Reddit reviews Stokes Beginner's Guide to Dragonflies

Sorry, HUGE dragonfly nerd here! That's a sympetrum sp. (common name Meadowhawk)! I've done a bit of work with them in the past. They are pretty common, but individual species for sympetrums are pretty hard to tell apart. :/ Though, it looks like a male to me with it's bright colors. They come out in late summer and are still around until the end of September. Sympetrums are a perching species that like to establish territories for breeding. They will find a perch, go after prey, and come back to their perch, which is much different from a hawking dragonfly like Anax junius (an Aeshna) that likes to hunt as it flies. Dragonflies also predict where a prey is going to be and intercept it, they don't chase after prey. How cool is that! I really recommend getting a Stoke's beginner guide to dragonflies! It's the best cheap guide I've found for dragonflies http://www.amazon.com/Stokes-Beginners-Guide-Dragonflies-Nikula/dp/0316816795/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347984018&sr=8-1&keywords=stokes+beginners+guide+to+dragonflies