Common Picture Wing

This is a dragonfly that is usually found near marshes, ponds, lakes or paddy fields in South Asia. It is also one dragonfly that I have heard several people mistaking for butterflies. I guess it is owing to their slow or weak flight, unlike the “usual” pattern of other dragonflies.

The scientific name for the Common Picture Wing is Rhyothemis variegata. It is also called the Variegated Flutterer.

I find these dragonflies in plenty at a lake that I sometimes visit not far from my house. It is amazing to walk through a field on a sunny morning and have them fluttering around in their slow flight. Here are some pictures I took of them from different angles:

First a male;

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Here is a much closer look at him:

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  Common Picture Wing (Male)

Now for a female; notice the slight difference in the black patches on its wings.

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  Common Picture Wing (Female)

Here is a closer look at it:

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Below is a short video I captured of them; thankfully the individual was pretty tolerant to me 😀 .

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