About Flame Skimmer

Flame Skimmer

Libellula saturata
other names - Big Red Skimmer

Native 

Status: Common

Size: medium-large

Length - 50 - 60 mm

Wing span - 85 - 93 mm

Eye color - red-orange

Face color - male: red-orange  female: paler red-orange 

Thorax color - male: red-orange  female: paler red-orange with ivory streak on back

Abdomen color - male: red-orange  female: paler red-orange 

Stigma color - male: red streak along leading edge from center to orange stigma, red veins; female: dark orange

Wing color - male: reddish-orange inside half, clear outer half with some red in veins; female: leading edge orange relatively clear on rest of wing

Habitat - still and slow waterways

Behavior - perches over water then dashes out to grab insects

Flight period - February - December

Range - southwestern Idaho west and south to southern California, throughout the southwestern U.S., and east to Wyoming.

(source:google/http://kern.audubon.org)