A pink dragonfly? Fellow photographer and good friend Walter Sanford was not hallucinating when he recently spotted this Roseate Skimmer dragonfly at Huntley Meadows Park, one of only a small handful of sightings ever of this species in Virginia.
He spotted one last year too, but this year managed to capture a wonderful series of images of this beauty. Be sure to check out his original posting as well as other spectacular images on his blog.
Breaking news: I discovered a new species of dragonfly at Huntley Meadows Park — a Roseate Skimmer dragonfly (Orthemis ferruginea). This is the first official record of Orthemis ferruginea in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Actually, I discovered this species last year but was unable to shoot a photo to prove I wasn’t hallucinating pink dragonflies! On 10 September 2014, I spotted a male Roseate Skimmer that made one patrol around a pool near an old beaver lodge (one that overlapped the boardwalk that goes through the central wetland area), landed for one second (no kidding) and flew upstream along Barnyard Run; I never saw it again. This year, I have photographic proof.
This individual is a male, as indicated by its coloration and terminal appendages.
23 SEP 2015 | Huntley Meadows Park | Roseate Skimmer (male)
Dig that crazy metallic purple face!
23 SEP 2015 | Huntley Meadows Park | Roseate…
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Mike Powell 
That might be the most striking dragonfly I have ever seen. Incredible the colours one can find in nature. Wonderful portraits of a very gorgeous beastie.
My good friend, Walter Sanford, who took the shots of this amazing dragonfly is an incredibly dedicated dragonfly follower–he is my go-to guy when I have questions about dragonflies. I’d love to see one of these striking dragonflies myself, though I know the odds are slim. (Walter and I were out yesterday looking to see if the Roseate Skimmer would return to the spot where Walter spotted him and captured the images).
Love Walter’s dragonflies and this one is amazing!
That’s a beautiful color! I’m not sure I can see it in nature because of colorblindness, but I’ll be looking.
Mike, you are causing me to fall in love with these dragonflies you keep showing. This one is really neat.
Thanks. The credit, though, goes to my friend Walter Sanford who discovered this amazing dragonfly at our park. It is so cool that I couldn’t help but share his find by reposting his blog entry.
Incredible color!!
It’s a great color for a dragonfly. I’d love to see one and have visited the spot when my friend Walter Sanford saw this one, but no sightings yet for me.