I love the colorful patterns on the wings of a Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina), but rarely have the chance to see one. Therefore, I was pretty excited when I spotted one from a distance last week at Huntley Meadows Park, my favorite marshland location for nature photography.
I moved a little closer to get some initial shots with my Tamron 150-600mm lens fully extended. Generally I use my long zoom for birds more often than for dragonflies. In this case, however, the lens turned out to be a better choice than my macro lens, because the dragonfly flew away when I took a couple of steps toward it and I never saw it again.
Most of the Halloween Pennant dragonflies that I have observed in the past have had wings that were more amber-colored than those of this individual, but the wing pattern is so distinctive that I am pretty sure about my identification. In addition to the wonderful wings, I was really struck by the length and two-toned color of this dragonfly’s legs.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
This individual is a female, hence her yellowish coloration.
Thanks, Walter. I guess I have seen mostly males in the past.
That’s so pretty, Mike.
That’s a beautiful shot, Mike. How I love the dragons! The first year we moved to this location (3 years ago), I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. Our property was crawling with dragons and damsels. So much so, that I’m sure I didn’t photograph or even see all the species that were here. Then the last two years, nothing. I’m lucky if I see a Common Green Darner. I wish I knew what happened to cause such a change. We have a huge wildlife pond and 16 acres of woodlands. We haven’t done a thing to change any of that – all remains the same. I guess it’s just the way nature is. Maybe next year. In the meantime, I can enjoy beautiful photos like yours :).