I spotted several dragonflies while walking around a small, rather overgrown pond.
A ten to twelve foot (about 3 Meters) wide grassy area is kept mowed and a few dragonflies were zipping ahead of me over the grass while some stayed over the pond.
This one obligingly stopped for a break, even staying in position as I passed by and shot from a different angle.
April 22, 2021
Oh I love those ruby red eyes!!
He really was a beauty, Donna.
Nice shots, Ellen. You can tell that this is a female by looking at the tip of its abdomen. There are several dragonfly species in which the juveniles have this general coloration, including the Slaty Skimmer and the Great Blue Skimmer. If I had to make a call, I’d say it’s probably a juvenile female Great Blue Skimmer, because of the bright white face.
Thanks, Mike, and thanks for that info on the colors. Ah, the shared color scheme—I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, with thousands of species the overlap has got to be huge.
The overlap is biggest with juveniles, because they have not yet acquired their adult colors, so the juvenile males and females look alike too. It’s kind of like that with some birds. I figure I’ll be able to pass on tips sometimes, because we are shooting similar subjects now. 🙂
I appreciate those tips, thank you, Mike!
My big book arrived today, wow!
Congratulations, Ellen, you are definitely being drawn into our “cult” of dragonfly enthusiasts!
😃