At several locations during this visit to Brussels, I have spotted large blue-and-green dragonflies flying patrols back and forth over the water. They reminded me a lot of the Common Green Darner dragonflies (Anax junius) that I see fairly often in my home area of Northern Virginia. I suspected correctly that Common Green Darners are a North American species and that the dragonflies that I was observing were European “cousins.”
It was not hard to establish that these are Emperor dragonflies (Anax imperator), a species that is also referred to as “Blue Emperor.” Because of their size and the fact that their territory seemed to be pretty small, it was easy to track the Blue Emperor dragonflies visually when they were flying. I had to wait a long time, however, for them to perch and then move quickly to get a shot when they did so. Their rest breaks frequently lasted only a few seconds and then they would begin to fly again.
I really like the blue and green color combination and the way that these colors coexist in both the bodies and in the eyes of these beautiful dragonflies.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
That top photo is superb Mike. The colours are incredible and also I wouldn’t have expected to see so much of its length in focus. Gorgeous!
Thanks, Liz. I was happy that the dragonfly was hanging almost vertically and that I was able to shoot on a parallel plane, which helped me keep most of the dragonfly’s body in focus.
Nice one Mike, very difficult to image.
Thanks so much. The only secret to my success this time was that I am patient and persistent (and got lucky when the dragonfly landed in an accessible location).
Benjamin is delighted with the Emperor dragonfly. He listened to the post and closely examined the enlarged photos. A very excited Benjamin said : “He has the bestest neon colors ever, just like my new crayons. Look at his blue and green eyes and pretty wings. I love dragonflies and he is my favorite!” This is one beautiful dragonfly. Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
Thanks for the feedback. I love bright colors and actually drive an orange car–it’s more the color of copper than of pumpkins, but it stands out among the drab colors of most other cars. I love crayons too, although recently colored pencils have attracted my eye and I bought a new set.
Very nice composition, Mike.
Thanks, Dan. The subjects were reasonably cooperative for a change. 🙂
They are beautiful, Mike.