CLOSED: Anyone know the name of this so pretty bug?

Thanks

It would be difficult to give a positive ID without seeing more angles as some Dragonflies are very similar, besides female, male and immaturity differences.

Scroll down to the Dragonflies, I would say it was in Aeshnidae. There's links to photos.

http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest/Pond/dragons/CA_key.html

From this site.

http://www.sonic.net/dragonfly/

I agree, it looks like a Darner, maybe a Blue-eyed Darner:

http://montereybay.com/creagrus/Blue-eyedDarner.html

I also thought it, looked a lot like the Mosaic Darners, Genus Aeshna, but only a few species have blue eyes.

Great shot BTW Kell!

Such great sites! THANK you both!

Flygirl, mine looks just like the female in the very last shot of your link.

Do you have any more pics of her? There's no Blue-eyed Darner in the Bug Files, but would have to make a more positive id, if it's possible.

Most of them are too dark. Shoot. here is a better one of his head.

Kell, is that the same one? I may be mistaken about the blue eyes, they look brown there.

Definitely a Darner, with the bullseye on the head and the eyes meeting in a seam.

Yes, same one. I got 3 exposures, going from light to too dark. Here are 2 other pics of it but cropped severly so a bit blurred. I can't tell which is accurate, if it is really a bit blue or really brown.

The last pic on the link you supplied is of a brown eyed female. The coloring is so similar.

Kell, I'm still looking at the Cal Darners but I have to watch Dancing With the Stars first LOL

LOL. I will be watching that too in about an hour.
Thanks for all your help.

Kell, I'm starting to wonder if it's not a Blue-eyed Darner because the eyes are blue in the males and females and in your second picture they look brown.

Another difficutly in the id is that the females in the Darners are so variable.

Still looking.....

Scratch that....one of my books says the Blue-eyed Darner females can have greenish eyes so I really am leaning towards that one.

In reading your link it says "Females have colorful patterns like males but typically the stripes and spots are green or yellow instead of blue, and the eyes can be yellow, green, or brown. "

mine has the female terminal appendage, doesn't it?

Yes, I'm pretty sure it is a female and a Darner, it has many of the Darner markers.

Do you know any entomologists or dragon experts that could positively id her? It would be neat to know for sure.