What signs do you look for that point to the change of seasons? Throughout most of my life, the changing colors of the fall foliage have been the primary indicator of the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.
The last few years, however, I have become increasingly sensitive to seasonal changes in the dragonfly population as I have increasingly focused my attention and my camera lens on these fascinating and colorful aerial acrobats. Summer is prime time for many dragonfly species, but certain species show up much later in the season and stay with us throughout much of the autumn days.
One of these late-arriving species is the Blue-faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum ambiguum) and I was thrilled yesterday to spot a male of this species at Huntley Meadows Park, the marshland where I take a lot of my wildlife photos. This is my first spotting of a Blue-faced Meadowhawk this season and I suspect it won’t be long before I also start seeing his “cousin,” the Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum).
I particularly like the bright red color and bold pattern of this dragonfly’s body and its beautiful turquoise face. Although I may vacillate a bit from time to time, I think this is the most beautiful dragonfly species that I have ever encountered. What do you think?
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
The colors are so vibrant but it’s those delicate filagree wing patterns that make me drop my jaw. Such gorgeous creatures. Wonderful photography, too!
Truly lovely – a great capture!
I think now I smell the change of the seasons and feel it on my skin; I too have become much more finely tuned to the aging of the plants in my garden and the behaviors of the birds that feed on the seeds that are now available. It is a process that lets you slow it down and enjoy it a lot more…I do love the gorgeous colors and amazing detail you captured in todays photo.
He’s a beauty all right. It’s so interesting how the dragonflies have divided up their time in the summer, perhaps to avoid competition from others.
I’ve really gotten into dragonflies and it’s interesting how some are habitat generalists, while others require very specific conditions; some are with us for extended periods and others for only a few weeks. They seem to come in all sizes and colors and are pretty amazing.
Pretty amazing is right–and both terms are fully appropriate here. I’ve never seen one of these before, but would surely like to. We have his white-faced cousins up at the cabin, but this guy is really spectacular. I’m still holding on to our summer, but the signs that move me are when the bracken turns brown and the water in the lake cools off to the point that you can’t go in without a few shivers. I’m afraid it’s coming fast . . .
Thanks, Gary. I enjoy summer, but fall is probably my favorite season–the heat and humidity of the Washington D.C. summers can be intolerable at times.
Ah, how well I remember. It gets hot here too, but at least we are usually spared anything like the intolerable humidity that goes along with it there.
That’s a beautiful creature. I thought that there seemed to be early, mid season and late dragonfly populations but I wondered if I was just imagining it.
One of the experts in our region has established a calendar which shows which species are present during which periods of time. There is no guarantee that you will actually see them, but in theory that’s when you have the best chance to do so.
[…] males spotted on 06 September 2015, approximately one week after Mike Powell reported spotting the first Blue-faced Meadowhawk of 2015 at the same remote location in Huntley Meadows […]