This is a large, hefty dragonfly approximately 1 3/4 inches or 45 mm in length. Mature males have dark brown eyes, face, thorax and legs. The abdomen becomes white (pruinose) in adult males. The males have a brown stripe at the base of each wing and a wide brown band between the nodus and stigma. Females have small brown spots at the base, nodus and tip of the wings. Females and juveniles have a brown face, thorax and abdomen with a white zigzag interrupted lateral stripe on each side of the abdomen. Image 8 shows a newly emerged female and the exuviae from which she emerged. The Twelve-Spotted Skimmer females resemble Common Whitetail females, but they have two continuous lateral yellowish stripes on the abdomen.
Common Whitetails are commonly seen in summer along the Wetlands boardwalk perched on tree trunks or on the boardwalk. Look for them also perched close to shore at the Great Marsh on flat surfaces.
Dragonflies in the genus Libellula are known as King Skimmers. They are strong fliers and are among the dominant dragonflies at most ponds. A male usually hover-guards an egg-laying female as she lays up to a thousand eggs by continually dipping the tip of her abdomen in the water.
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