Purple skimmer

Description

The Purple Skimmer (Libellula jesseana) is a dragonfly of the skimmer family.It is endemic to Florida in the United States.This dragonfly is about 5 centimeters long.The male is pruinescent blue with orange wings.The female is identical to Libellula auripennis.The flight season is mid-April through mid-September.This species is limited to ten counties in the panhandle and northern peninsula of Florida.There is a protected population at Gold Head Branch State Park in Clay County.Most other populations receive no protection.The main habitat type for this species is clear,sandy lakes with shoreline stands of maidencane (Panicum hemitomon) and sometimes sedges and St.John's worts.Much of this habitat is threatened by processes such as eutrophication and groundwater depletion due to irrigation.Development around the lakes leads to pollution from septic tanks.This degradation of the habitat may allow L.auripennis to outcompete the rare species.The NatureServe conservation status for this species is critically imperiled.