This Needham’s Skimmer was perched close to the ground and out of the breeze, a nice fit for using the Tamron 180mm macro lens.
The angle and background worked well to pick up the orange tones.
He didn’t move far between these shots, trying out some different perches almost like a model.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 14, 2022
I believe this is a Needham’s Skimmer, female, showing off on yet another interesting perch.
This bed of Salvia was inside a box hedged garden, limiting my angle.
There was considerable wear and tear on the insect’s wings but as usual I saw no sign it inhibited her movement.
Middleton Place
July 7, 2021
A number of Needham’s Skimmers joined me on walk in early July, or maybe I joined them as they flitted ahead of me on an old rice field dike.
I like this image for the shadow on the leaf.
In all of these images the concentration of color at the front of the wings, which distinguishes the Needham’s Skimmer from some others, is obvious.
That helps more for ID than the amorphous “Needham’s abdomen averages a bit redder” when compared to the Golden Skimmer.
July 4, 2021
Possibly a Needham’s Skimmer, and the only angle I was able to get of this dragonfly, perched on a cattail that was past its prime.
July 23, 2021
