Red Dragonfly

Media: Photograph

I can not recall ever having seen a red dragonfly, but here one is. We were having lunch on the deck and this gorgeous dragonfly landed on a nearby shrub. Jennifer snapped a quick photo with my iPhone while I went in and got the Canon so that I could get a better shot. I am not too happy with the result. I was in a precarious position standing on a block wall and it was hard to focus the camera on the insect. Interestingly it is a red dragonfly on a red japanese maple.

I am not sure what exactly what species of dragonfly this is. When I did a web search on red dragonflies and California the result I got was Flame Skimmer Libellula saturatai which is native to the southwest. If you think that this is a different species of dragonfly let me know.