Blue Dasher dragonfly

July 7, 2012 by Mike Powell

I photographed this Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis) at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens this morning.

Posted in Gardening, Insects, Macro Photography, Photography | Tagged Blue Dasher dragonfly, bug, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, flower, garden, gardening, insect, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Pachydiplax longipennis | 16 Comments

16 Responses

on July 8, 2012 at 2:48 pm | Reply Alex Khoo

Good one! Nice!
on July 11, 2012 at 9:08 pm | Reply juka503

This is a dancer or an acrobat 🙂
on July 13, 2012 at 1:58 am | Reply Sue

Cool, you got him in the obelisk posture. Some people think this is a territorial threat display, but other dragonflies do this to prevent overheating. Did you take the photo in midday heat?
- on July 13, 2012 at 2:04 am | Reply michaelqpowell
  
  It was midmorning but on a day (last Saturday) when we came close to setting a record temperature for Washington DC (we reached 105 degrees, one short of the record). Thanks for clarifying the position name. There are so many positions it’s almost like watching tai chi or yoga.
on August 5, 2012 at 1:35 am | Reply Roy Beckemeyer

One of my favorite dragonflies. They are so active at their territorial perches, and the colors (I especially like those eyes) are so vibrant. Their pursuit flights when they chase off challenging males are really impressive. I have clocked them (using high speed videography) at maximum turn rates of 3000 degreess a second.
- on August 5, 2012 at 2:59 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Wow! Thanks for your comments. You combine elements of beauty (colors and eyes) with elements of science (speed). I’m a neophyte by comparison. Did you check out my newest Blue Dasher post from today? https://michaelqpowell.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/dramatic-portrait-of-a-blue-dasher-dragonfly/
on July 7, 2013 at 8:54 pm | Reply One year later | Mike Powell

[…] year ago today I made my first posting on this blog, an image of a Blue Dasher dragonfly in a pose that I later learned was called the […]
on December 20, 2013 at 7:33 am | Reply Winter wren | Mike Powell

[…] come to enjoy the process of blogging when I started this blog on July 7, 2012 with a photo of a Blue Dasher dragonfly. The support and encouragement from innumerable readers has helped to sustain me on my journey into […]
on July 7, 2015 at 8:42 pm | Reply 3rd anniversary—cannibals take over | Mike Powell

[…] Like most guys, I have trouble remembering anniversaries, so it is a good thing that WordPress sent me a reminder that three years ago today I started my blog. I still recall my feelings of doubt and uncertainty when my mentor and muse Cindy Dyer sat me down in front of a computer and told me that I was starting a blog. We had just finished reviewing and editing some shots that I had taken earlier in the day at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens. Cindy helped me through the mechanics of setting up the blog and shortly thereafter I made my first posting, Blue Dasher dragonfly. […]
on July 12, 2017 at 6:53 am | Reply Fifth anniversary | Mike Powell

[…] very first posting was an image of a perching dragonfly and was simply titled Blue Dasher dragonfly. If you look at that posting, you can see that my fascination with dragonflies is not a new […]
on May 10, 2019 at 7:54 pm | Reply Back to my roots | Mike Powell

[…] you remember the first blog post that you ever wrote? In my first blog posting on July 7, 2012, I featured a photo of a Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis). Every […]
on July 8, 2019 at 8:32 am | Reply Starting my 8th year | Mike Powell

[…] that I am starting my 8th year with this blog. On July 7, 2012 I made my first posting “Blue Dasher dragonfly” and, as they say, the rest is history. According to WordPress stats, I have had 205,209 […]
on August 29, 2019 at 7:48 am | Reply Male Blue Dasher | Mike Powell

[…] must confess that Blue Dashers have a special place in my heart, because my very first blog posting on July 7, 2012 featured a photo of a Blue Dasher. My photography skills and my knowledge about […]
on June 27, 2020 at 8:29 am | Reply Female Blue Dasher | Mike Powell

[…] Over the years, I am sure that I have taken hundreds of photos of Blue Dashers, but I still enjoy trying to capture new and potentially better images of these beautiful little dragonflies. Blue Dashers have a special place in my heart in part because my very first posting on this blog almost eight years ago featured a photo of one. My gear has changed over those eight years, but my approach has remained pretty consistent. If you are curious about the kind of images I was capturing way back then, check out the posting that was entitle simply “Blue Dasher dragonfly.” […]
on July 7, 2021 at 7:46 am | Reply Nine year anniversary | Mike Powell

[…] craft an “About Me” page, and prepare my first posting. That posting was entitled Blue Dasher dragonfly, featured a single photo, and had a short text that simply stated “I photographed this Blue […]
on July 7, 2022 at 10:03 am | Reply Ten Year Blog Anniversary | Mike Powell

[…] photo of a Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis). In case you are curious, here is a link to that first posting that was entitled “Blue Dasher […]