Black-shouldered Spinyleg dragonfly

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Black-shouldered Spinyleg dragonfly

July 30, 2015 by Mike Powell

Last Saturday at Lilypons Water Gardens in Adamstown, Maryland I spotted a large dragonfly that I had never seen before, a Black-shouldered Spinyleg (Dromogomphus spinosus). That’s definitely a cool (and descriptive) name for a spectacular-looking dragonfly.

The dragonfly remained perched in the vegetation surrounding a small pond long enough for me to get shots from a few different angles and distances with my macro lens. I was particularly struck by the length of the long black legs, which somehow reminded me of those of a spider.

Posted in Dragonflies, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Adamstown MD, Black-shouldered Spinyleg, Black-shouldered Spinyleg dragonfly, Canon 50D, Dromogomphus spinosus, Lilypons Water Gardens, Tamron 180mm macro lens | 8 Comments

8 Responses

on July 30, 2015 at 7:37 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

I saw one very similar yesterday bud it had 3 black spots on each of its wings. Nice shots!
- on July 31, 2015 at 5:11 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Allen. I am not good at identifying unknown species and depend on help from a friend who is much more knowledgeable than I am.
on July 30, 2015 at 12:25 pm | Reply naturesnippets

I bet that one was difficult to identify. I often think they don’t know what they are, so why should I worry about it?
on July 30, 2015 at 9:11 pm | Reply svtakeiteasy

Very nice shots Mike, wings like lace!
- on July 31, 2015 at 5:10 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Chris. Dragonflies fascinate me endlessly, because of their wings, their yes, and their delicate beauty.
on July 31, 2015 at 5:09 am | Reply Ed

Now that is a cool dragonfly, excellent shots.. 🙂
- on July 31, 2015 at 5:53 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Ed. I was happy to get shots that document the presence of this unquestionably cool dragonfly. Maybe next time he’s give me better lighting and a nicer background. 🙂
on July 24, 2016 at 8:20 am | Reply Black-shouldered Spinyleg | Mike Powell

[…] blog postings because I had a vague recollection that I had seen this species before and found a posting indicating that I saw one almost exactly a year ago on a trip to a different part of […]