It’s not hard to figure out the source of its name when you spot a colorful Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) waving in the breeze. These dragonflies also remind me of pole vaulters, attempting to thrust their bodies over a crossbar while holding on to the very end of a long pole.
I have not seen one yet at Huntley Meadows Park, the place where I take the majority of my photos, though earlier this summer one of my fellow photographers, Walter Sanford, spotted one in the park for the first time in years. I shot this image at edge of a small pond during a recent trip to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Looks like he/she is hanging on for dear life 🙂
There actually was a bit of a breeze and I suspect the dragonfly had to hold on tightly–it also made getting a decent shot a little more challenging for me.
Unbelievable shot!
This individual is a male. Looks can be deceiving — as “Meadowhawk Mike” can tell you, dragonflies are almost weightless!
Absolutely amazing – such lovely colours and a great capture
I wonder what people thought when they spied a person laying on the ground next to edge of a pond in Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Great find and well photo’d.
I tried to be discreet, but I was sprawled out pretty low to the ground. I’m always happy that nobody is taking pictures of me taking pictures.
ha….I’ll just wait for those.
Nearly as fascinating as their aerial acrobatic capabilities are the poses that dragonflies can strike when at “rest,” especially when the winds are not and are buffeting them around. Nice work, Mike!
Thanks, Gary. These dragonflies pose special challenges for me, because they always want to perch at the extreme ends of the of the stalks, where even the slightest wind sets them in motion.
Great shot, you have a great insect area. We have gone a bit grey and wet over here 😦
We’re still doing pretty well insect-wise, though things will probably change in a month or so. I’m so far backlogged with photos that I have shot that I probably will have some shots to post after most of them disappear. We do have a few hard species, including dragonflies, that last until early November, I believe.
They really do blow back and forth in the wind and it’s an interesting thing to watch. This shot must be close to perfect with that background showing off the wing colors so well.