Dragonflies on buds

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Dragonflies on buds

July 12, 2015 by Mike Powell

Yesterday I visited Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington D.C. for the annual Lotus and Water Lily Festival and I was thrilled to be able to get some of my favorite kind of dragonfly images—dragonflies perched on the buds of colorful flowers. Generally I manage to get shots only of the Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis), but this time I was also able to get a shot of a Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) on a lotus flower bud.

Blue Dasher on purple water lily bud

Slaty Skimmer on lotus bud

Blue Dasher on water lily bud

Posted in Dragonflies, Flowers, Gardening, Insects, Macro Photography, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Blue Dasher, Blue Dasher dragonfly, Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, Libellula incesta, Pachydiplax longipennis, Slaty Skimmer, Slaty Skimmer dragonfly, Washington DC | 13 Comments

13 Responses

on July 12, 2015 at 8:58 am | Reply Ginny Alfano

Incredible photographs, Mike! They are truly magnificent. Two of my favorite dragons enhanced by the beauty of the water lily buds. Since we have a real lack of dragons this year, I’m so happy that you post the one’s that you see.
on July 12, 2015 at 10:12 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

Nice!
on July 12, 2015 at 11:15 am | Reply waltersanford

Photo 1 (of 3) is excellent, Mike!
- on July 12, 2015 at 1:32 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  One of my friends suggested I should always lead with my best shot. 🙂
on July 12, 2015 at 12:04 pm | Reply Charlie@Seattletrekker.com

The world is just so amazing when you stop and take a closer look…I do so enjoy your images and appreciate the effort you put into each and every picture.
on July 12, 2015 at 2:24 pm | Reply Laura (PA Pict)

Absolutely stunning images again, Mike. The colors are so vivid.
on July 12, 2015 at 4:50 pm | Reply svtakeiteasy

What a stunning combination!
- on July 12, 2015 at 7:29 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Chris. It probably comes as no surprise to you that I love bold colors.
  - on July 12, 2015 at 7:32 pm svtakeiteasy
    
    So do I 😊
on July 12, 2015 at 10:34 pm | Reply mvschulze

Great pictures, Mike – as usual. Keeping the subject in focus is perfect. I guess we could call that DOF management! M 🙂
- on July 12, 2015 at 11:08 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. Depth of field is always on my mind, though I can’t always control it as well as I would like.
on July 13, 2015 at 2:51 pm | Reply cindydyer

Gorgeous shots, Michael! I especially love the intense jewel tones of the one with the Common Blue Dasher on the deep purple bud. Stunning color scheme!
- on July 13, 2015 at 6:47 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Cindy. That is my favorite shot too.