Southern skimmer

A grown-up male guards his own piece of the shore. He makes short patrol flights to chase other males away.

The female lays her eggs while flying, by dipping the tip of her body into shallow water.

Its larvae hide buried in sand or mud in sunny, shallow water and grab passing prey.

A larva lives in the water for two or three years before it becomes a dragonfly.

Young males are brownish. They turn pale blue as they grow older.