What is this garden insect?

[Alan Illeman]

slender body, two translucent wings, each with a white spot. Stands on leaves for hours. Never seen more than one in the garden, at a time.

tia Alan

[Stewart Robert Hinsley]

In message , Alan Illeman writes

I believe that it's a dragonfly (rests with wings outstretched), damselfly (rests with wings folded backwards and horizontal) or demoiselle fly (rests with wings folded backwards and vertical). (Lestes damselflies rest with the wings in a V-shape.) But all these have 4 wings.

A very slender body suggests a damselfly. If the photograph shows one resting, then a demoiselle fly.

I assume that in Canada you have a different set of species to here. Ontario alone has 130 species, so you have quite a few to check out.

[Billy]

My guess is also a dragonfly. They eat mosquitos, which is good, because they are found around bodies of water.

[Pat Kiewicz]

I would suggest a female black-winged damselfly.

It actually has four wings. They line up so perfectly when the insect is at rest that you might think it only has two.

Damselflies are predatory and spend much of their time perched and waiting for an opportunity to dash out and grab their prey. Typical prey are small flies (mosquitos, fungus gnats and the like).

[Gibson]

Alan,

It's most definitely a Damselfly. Depending on where you are geographically it may be a Demoiselle. Damselflies spend most of their time as entirely aquatic nymphs but emerge for a brief adult phase when they devour huge numbers of smaller flying insects.

They also spend long periods sunbathing (particularly in the early mornings) to build up their body temperatures for flight and will be more or less dormant in the shelter of trees and shrubs on cool, overcast or rainy days.

[brooklyn1]

Gee, that sure sounds like my ex.... no could spend more time in the terlit. LOL

[Alan Illeman]

I'm in Southern Ontario, Canada.

Thanks, thanks also to all that replied.