Fly united

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Fly united

July 30, 2014 by Mike Powell

Am I the only one who remembers a poster from the 1970’s featuring the slogan “Fly United” and depicting two ducks mating in mid-air?

That’s what immediately came to mind earlier this week when a pair of Great Blue Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula vibrans) flew by me at my local marsh. Anyone who has ever watched dragonflies mate knows that it is an acrobatic endeavor, requiring tremendous flexibility by both parties. Imagine trying to fly while still in the “wheel” position. Amazingly all of the wings seemed to able to move freely, though I didn’t notice if they were both using their wings for propulsion.

I was able to snap off these shots as the pair flew toward me over the water of a pond, which reflected wonderfully the blue sky and the clouds up above us.

Posted in Dragonflies, Humor, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Summer | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 100mm macro lens, fly united, Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly, Huntley Meadows Park, Libellula vibrans, mating dragonflies | 13 Comments

13 Responses

on July 30, 2014 at 7:34 am | Reply Dan Antion

I remember that poster too. It was hanging in every album shop in America. I don’t think iTunes carries that stuff. Great photo & capture.
on July 30, 2014 at 8:01 am | Reply donna213

Such a cute title. Cool photo too.
on July 30, 2014 at 8:08 am | Reply Victor Rakmil

Nice! Amazing capture.
on July 30, 2014 at 8:11 am | Reply cindydyer

Excellent captures! And happy birthday, dear Michael!
- on July 30, 2014 at 10:06 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Cindy. I never get tired of photographing dragonflies and catching them while they are flying is always a fun challenge.
on July 30, 2014 at 8:47 am | Reply Ed

🙂
on July 30, 2014 at 9:09 am | Reply waltersanford

Wheel in the sky keep on turning. Happy Birthday, Mike!
- on July 30, 2014 at 9:10 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Walter. I didn’t get any Saddlebags mating in the air–this was the best I could do this week.
on July 31, 2014 at 6:35 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

Great shots. Talk about being in the right place at the right time!
on July 31, 2014 at 10:36 pm | Reply krikitarts

Great title and terrific work!
- on August 1, 2014 at 5:32 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Gary. I can resist the urge to play with words and often enjoy the creativity of the writing aspect of the blog as much as the chance to showcase some of my photos.
on August 1, 2014 at 12:57 pm | Reply Sue

Wow, you are really getting good at capturing dragonflies in flight. I don’t think I’ve seen them fly in wheel formation before. You would think it would be awkward, let alone aerodynamically inefficient.
- on August 1, 2014 at 5:07 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I’m not sure that they would want to fly that way for long. Fortunately for me, their less efficient mode of travel made it marginally easier to photograph them.