Erythemis vesiculosa (Great Pondhawk)

I came across E. simplicicollis, a smaller cousin of this, in Virginia when I visited in November 2024. I was very pleased to see this spectacular, larger Pondhawk in Costa Rica 2026.

Males and females of E. vesiculosa look alike whereas the males of the smaller E. simplicicollis turn blue with pruinosity. There were many of these guys beside the road down to the Parque Nacional Palo Verde, which we couldn’t actually get into [it was closed] but the land outside the park proved productive. These were exciting to see at first but due to their being so numerous, we soon became a little dulled to their charms.