Many damselfly species look so much alike that they are visually indistinguishable for me. I never have that problem, however, with the Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata)—its dark wings and emerald body set it apart from all other damselflies in my area.
I spotted this distinctive little beauty yesterday, the last day of May, at Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia alongside one of the creeks in a remote area of the park. As I went through my photos I was drawn to this one, because of the wing positions.
When I showed a similar shot to my local dragonfly expert Walter Sanford, he immediately noticed the curve in the abdomen, something that I hadn’t even seen. I initially dismissed it as some kind of flexing by the damselfly, but when I noted the same curve in all of my images, I realized that it may be a deformity, as Walter initially suggested. Fortunately, the damselfly appeared to be able to fly normally despite the curved abdomen.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Just extraordinary – those wings!
Very striking Mike.
Thanks, Chis. In addition to the damselfly itself, I was really happy with the overall look of the image.
Wowzer! Never seen one with dark wings before. Thanks for posting.
I am always thrilled to be able to capture images of all kinds of creatures and during the summer damselflies and dragonflies are among my favorites.
Me too!
In the right light these can appear to be a midnight blue color, I’ve noticed.
Nice shot of this one!
Thanks, Allen. The shiny iridescence of the body of this damselfly is remarkable and seems to take on a number of different tones in different lighting situations.