This past weekend I finally saw one of my favorite dragonflies, the male Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis), at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia. The Blue Dasher is bright and colorful and likes to perch on protruding vegetation, thereby providing lots of photographic opportunities.
Now that I have seen my first Blue Dashers, I know for sure that summer is almost here.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Are they still when perched? Hard to tell if camera is stopping motion or they aren’t in motion. It doesn’t matter, it’s a great shot but I was wondering.
They are pretty still when perched, though they will fly away without any notice. Often the only motion that the camera stops is caused by the wind, which can be a problem at times, given the propensity of these dragonflies to perch at the very end of vegetation growing out of the water.
Nice shot! I like the color of this one.
Sweet shot! I’m sooooooooo glad spring/summer is here….time to hunt bugs… 🙂
I think it’s telling that the first shot you posted from a garden photowalk is a dragonfly, not a flower. Hmmm, has the ode bug bitten you, Mike?
One of the folks in my group specifically wanted to get shots of dragonflies, so I spent a lot of time at the little pond with dragonflies and damselflies. Besides, it was midday and the sun was pretty strong, which made it less than optimal for flower photography, even with a diffuser. However, I have been bitten by the “ode bug” for sure.
That would be a near perfect location with those leading lines and background. Well done.