Pantala flavescens (Wandering Glider)

This iconic long-distance migrant dragonfly crosses the Indian Ocean on the monsoon winds blowing between India and Africa. Their larval development takes <40 days enabling them to reproduce successfully in short-lived seasonal pools of water. The only continent from which they are absent is Antartica, though they are rare in Europe.

It seemed to be ubiquitous in Namibia where we saw it almost everywhere. We never, however, saw one settle so identifying it was initially a bit of a challenge. Carol snagged one distant female in flight at Toshari Lodge and on the very last morning before our return, I finally got some definitive shots of males flying over water. In 2026 I was fortunate to see hung up in Costa Rica.