Female Blue-faced Meadowhawk

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Female Blue-faced Meadowhawk

November 12, 2014 by Mike Powell

My concerns about the potential demise of the Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum ambiguum) were greatly exaggerated and I saw a half-dozen or more yesterday on Veterans Day (Armistice Day).

Normally we stop seeing this species of dragonflies by the end of October, but we have not yet gone below freezing and perhaps that explains their unexpected longevity. Yesterday, for example, the temperatures soared to almost 70 degrees F (21 degrees C). I have to note too that I am searching for them more diligently and in more remote locations of my marshland park, so that may help explain why I am seeing them more frequently.

As is the case with birds, male dragonflies tend to be more brightly colored and visible. Many female dragonflies are brown in colored and harder to spot. I was thus very happy yesterday to be able to get this close-up shot of a female Blue-faced Meadowhawk. Her body coloration may be a little bit drab, but those blue eyes are simply stunning.

In case you are curious, these dragonflies are small in size, with a body length of approximately 1.5 inches (38 mm), so I had to move in awfully close to get this shot. Surprisingly (and happily), this female tolerated my close presence for long enough for me to take several shots before she flew off into the distance.

Posted in Autumn, Dragonflies, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Portraits, Winter | Tagged Alexandria VA, Blue-faced Meadowhawk, Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly, Canon 50D, female Blue-faced Meadowhawk, Huntley Meadows Park, Sympetrum ambiguum, Tamron 180mm macro lens | 8 Comments

8 Responses

on November 12, 2014 at 7:33 am | Reply papict

Those eyes are amazing! You really have an exceptional talent to capture the detail of such a small and (usually) skittish creature.
- on November 13, 2014 at 6:09 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I don’t know that I have exceptional talent, but I am pretty patient and persistent. I love getting close enough to dragonflies to be able to get close-up shots of their marvelous compound eyes.
on November 12, 2014 at 7:52 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

That’s a great shot of it’s eyes. Not an easy one to get, either.
- on November 13, 2014 at 6:10 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Allen. Sometimes they’ll let me get close, but often they will fly off as I approach. it’s a hit-or-miss proposition, but I am always trying.
on November 12, 2014 at 3:05 pm | Reply Charlie@Seattle Trekker

Wow; that is absolutely spectacular…It makes words superfluous.
- on November 13, 2014 at 6:11 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Charlie.
on November 14, 2014 at 10:12 am | Reply Joanne

Stunning shot! 🙂
- on November 14, 2014 at 10:13 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Joanne. It’s getting to be late in the season for dragonflies, so I was thrilled to be able to get this shot.