This rather large dragonfly was looking for a spot to land and finally settled on this pretty lichen covered branch. In the first image he was hanging on to a bit of Spanish Moss.
He then got a better grip on the branch and stayed put. I did not see any insects for him to prey on. It was almost 100 F (37 C) and I wondered if he was looking for some shade. I don’t know what is going on with his tail–it looks like some plant debris was hitching a ride.
05/29/2019
The combination of the sun light and the distance from the perches to the background shows off this dragonfly’s striped wings quite nicely.
I don’t remember seeing this type of dragonfly before; but recognize the “return to the same spot” behavior I’ve seen in others.
He left and re-lit on this grain stalk multiple times while I watched.
5/19/2019 Mepkin Abbey
First decent photograph, that is. It seems like all of the dragonflies I’ve encountered this spring have been frantic, with none of that rhythmic pause, fly off and return to the same spot routine I got used to last year.
I liked the first image as much for the seed heads as the insect. The second image is the same dragonfly, on another nice piece of foliage.
I’m still occasionally seeing dragonflies, capturing these on Sunday as he investigated a manicured shrub hedge.
Look closely through his wing below and you’ll spot another thorn pointing away from his body.
An un-obscured head shot proved elusive and the direction of his position may have been due to the stiff breeze we had that day. These were taken in an area that is often overrun with mosquitoes so I was happy to have the air movement.
Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC 11/04/2018
It’s always interesting to note the objects dragonflies choose to land on. When available they often select stationery man-made objects over natural options. Could it be they prefer not to bounce in the breeze while on a reed or limb? This one certainly had an unobstructed view of any potential prey.
This pole is part of a rusting fence that is around a plot at Magnolia Cemetery.
I was able to get a variety of images of this posing Dragonfly by shifting myself to the left and right and up and down a bit, changing the background.
[/caption]Click on any photo for larger view.
Missing part of a wing didn’t slow this Dragonfly down one bit. He performed the usual lift off, turn and resettle routine on this stick at the edge of a pond-side dike several times.
A little further along the dike I spotted another Dragonfly with a wing tear. These insects are so delicate it is easy to imagine scenarios that would leave them damaged.
A number of dragonflies were zipping back and forth along the tall reads at the edge of a canal bordering old rice fields. This one stood out from the others with a reddish-orange body and wings.
He stopped on a number of stalks quite near the trail I was walking on.
There was a good supply of smaller insects to keep him well fed, although I didn’t see him catch any.
In recent years the dragonflies in our backyard have been nondescript, plain black models, at least as much as I had noticed. This past week we have had a steady procession of dragonflies of different sizes and colors zipping around the yard.
This one worked on some poses on a dried Crepe Myrtle seedpod.
Unlike most of the dragonflies I have photographed this season this one was up at shoulder level for an easy view. And he was on a steady perch, not swaying around on a spindly twig.
