Most of our dragonflies are Skimmers - all kinds. This one looks like it could be a Sulphur-tipped Clubtail. From my dragonfly books, I can't seem to get an exact match. Note the white lines across the face. Blue eyes. Eyes separated. Could not get a picture of the dorsal side. A full ventral view shows a thick black line on each segment 4 - 8. The thorax is lined from the front through seg. 3.
Rod
Found my answer via the following link: http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740
The dragonfly in question is a Broad-striped Forceptail (one of the clubtails) Aphylla angustifolia. A female. Found in coastal Texas to Mississippi - uncommon. Common through eastern Mexico to Guatemala. What a lucky find for my first clubtail dragonfly (one of my shared photography passions). You think butterflies can be difficult - shift gears to include dragonflies. Both occur in the same locations and same times of the year so you can double your picture taking pleasure.
Attached is a ventral photo of the Forceptail.
Rod
Rod, that looks like a match. The dragons are very hard to id, with the femals and immature males often with different colors and markings......ugh!
