About the time that the birds stop singing, the dragonflies start flying. These fascinating little creatures are a relatively new pursuit for me, so it often takes time to figure out what I have seen and photographed. Which is okay by my, because at heart I am a researcher ... a pager of books and puzzle solver.
An added benefit of this sometimes perplexing quest for a name and ID, is the opportunity to study the photographs and pause to appreciate the beauty and variety of the creatures.
On two different visits to the Wilson Wetlands in Putney, the
Beaverpond Clubtail was flying. The second visit yielded these photos ...
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| Beaverpond Clubtail |
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| Beaverpond Clubtail |
Chalk-fronted Corporal was flying at beaverponds in large numbers in Somerset in the Green Mountain NF and at Wilson's Wetlands in Putney. The first 2 photos are from Somerset, the 3rd from Putney ...
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| Chalk-fronted Corporal - female |
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| Chalk-fronted Corporal - male (on guard duty) |
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| Chalk-fronted Corporal |
On a sunny afternoon in the backyard, this
Common Baskettail landed on my pant leg. Panic ! ... no camera. But not to worry, the iPad has a reasonably good camera. The photo even shows the male appendage, which I was later able to examine with a magnifying glass. The 2nd photo was taken at the Rutland Marsh ...
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| Common Baskettail |
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| Common Baskettail |
Photographing dragonflies with a 400mm lens can present challenges, but when the photos are sharp, they reveal a beauty which can't be seen with the naked eye. That was experience with the next 3 photos. The first is a Dot-tailed Whiteface at Wilson's Wetlands ...
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| Dot-tailed Whiteface |
Along the forest service road in Somerset (near the big beaver pond/wetlands, for SE Vermont folk who may be looking at this), was this
Frosted Whiteface female ...
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| Frosted Whiteface female |
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| Frosted Whiteface female |
Damselflies are so small as to be almost a figment of the imagination. Nevertheless, at the same location where I saw the Frosted Whiteface was a virtual swarm of
Northern Bluets, including this one which paused briefly ...
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| Northern Bluet |
And finally, a disclaimer. I am quite confident about the IDs on these insects, but I am new to this. If you think I may have mis-IDed, don't hesitate to raise the question.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos. I enjoyed viewing them and reading your post.
Yes, lots of us have been discovering the joy and wonder of dragonflies and their little cousins. I started photographing them with my "birding lens" only a couple of years ago. Despite how widespread odonates are, there are major regional varieties of species. Only one in your post is also seen here in the SW. I've quite a few photos on my website if you're interested: http://www.bosquebill.com/odonata/gallery.php
One small suggestion, if you don't mind: you might try a little flash for those bugs that are backlit. I've found the pop-up flash on my camera works well, though I dial down the intensity usually. Give it a try next time to get details and color to show up that would otherwise be in shadow.