Black Saddlebags

More Dragonfly Resources Skimmers Dragonfly Pictures

Saddlebags is the common name given to the members of the Tramea genus in the common skimmer family, so named for the dark patches on the wings next to the abdomen.

Five different species, Vermilion Saddlebags, Striped Saddlebags, Antillean Saddlebags, Black Saddlebags and Red Saddlebags, can be found in the Lower Rio Grande Valley area.

Finding them and photographing them are two different stories. They are prodigious flyers that rarely rest on branches.

The Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata), pictured above, has the widest range of all the species. Depending on the season, it can be found throughout most of the continental United States, with the exception of the northern Rocky Mountain area.

© 2008. Patricia A. Michaels