Orange Shadowdragon Neurocordulia xanthosoma

The striking female with her spackle of orange spots and her outlined "cubic-streaming" veins. Difficult dragons to see. They are in the same family with the Emeralds and Baskettails. They like shadows and shade and dusk and dawn and cloudy days. Can be flushed from their haunts if approached in daylight but generally sneak up under leaves and canopy and try to hide again immediately. There are three species in Arkansas and likely one or more others may be discovered with their close ranges and furtive habits. None of the others have this wing coloration. The males of the Orange have less wing marking but are still somewhat spackly.

A young male showing the decreased markings.

An adult male also showing the decreased testosterone effects.

And Kenny and Ladonna found the amazing Smoky Shadowdragon female perched under their porch roof near Lake Dardanelle. I have never found one. Difficult crepuscular things and quite a bit rarer than the Orange if my own experience reflects the occurences. Stream lovers, so I doubt the males were coursing on the lake shore. Kenny identified it himself from Dennis Paulson's excellent dragonfly book.