Sometimes dragonflies stay put and give the photographer multiple opportunities.

I walked past this one and on looking back found a more appealing background.

Middleton Place, Charleston, SC
September 20, 2023
It had been a slow morning for photographing wildlife so I stopped for this young Alligator. I didn’t see the dragonfly until I was looking at the images on my computer.
After the first image I moved along for a different angle of the Alligator, still not seeing the dragonfly. He was following a tight flight path, with just two seconds between the next and final images.
The Alligator is probably 2 to 3 years old, based on his size and camouflage coloration.
Magnolia Plantation & Garden, Charleston, SC
June 16, 2023
A few dragonflies were perching on these giant leaves, which I believe are Powdery Alligator-flag.
The dragonfly, a Blue Dasher? I didn’t get a good enough image of his abdomen to see if there were stripes. The Great Blue Skimmer is described as “very large” … the Blue Dasher as “small.” Hmmm.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 12, 2023
Eastern Pondhawk Dragonflies are ground perchers and are often well camouflaged by fallen leaves and other detritus.
This one nicely posed up on two different fallen tree branches.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 30, 2023
Two years ago fellow blogger and dragonfly enthusiast Mike Powell (https://michaelqpowell.com/) identified a similar sighting of mine as “probably a juvenile female Great Blue Skimmer.”
I’m not much further along identifying dragonflies than I was then, especially females and juveniles.
I do like to photograph them even if I don’t know what they are, and liked the three different background options this one gave me.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 30, 2023