Many dragonflies are very skittish and will fly away as you get close. Blue-faced Meadowhawks (Sympetrum ambiguum), however, appear to be unusually inquisitive, like this one that perched on my knee Monday at Huntley Meadows Park as I was trying to photograph another dragonfly.
He seemed to want to check me out at close range and I returned the favor.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
The color combination’s almost as nice as his sociable nature. I’ve never had one be that approachable or accepting, but I have finally learned that they will come back to the same spot time after time. If I don’t chase after them when they leave, the odds are pretty good one will return.
There’s nothing like a mutual admiration society!
A belated but no less sincere “Like,” Mike. Were you standing or sitting when the dragonfly landed on your knee?
Thanks, Walter. I was crouching at the moment when the dragonfly landed.
I love your pictures and stories. I was once surrounded by a group/swarm? of dragonflies. And I just twirled amongst them in wonder, camera in hand. I got a good video, not great. They were golden and wings were shear. A large turquoise, the only one with color, seemed to be in charge. It was magical.
Large numbers of certain species of dragonflies swarm together when they migrate. The groups can be so large that they show up on weather radar. Where I live, the largest most colorful dragonflies that migrate are the Common Green Darners, which are turquoise and/or green in color. They may be the ones that you experienced. I especially like your use of the word “magical,” which is how I often feel when seeing dragonflies.
Oh yes, they are magical. I love them . So happy I found your blog.
If you explore a bit in the blog, you’ll see that I have lots of photos of different dragonflies and damselflies. They are my favorite subjects until the weather gets too cold for them and then I tend to switch to photographing birds.
Yes, I have been browsing. Are damselfies the ladies? Awesome way to start my day.
Damselflies and dragonflies are part of the same order of insects. However, damselflies tend to be smaller, thinner, and hold their wings differently than dragonflies do. Here is a link to an internet article that explains some of the differences. https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/how-tell-difference-between-dragonfly-and-damselfly
Thank you!
This happened in Florida.
Reblogged this on Women Who Think Too Much by Jeanne Marie.