Sometimes I feel like I am living in a mythical world, in an endless pursuit of dragons, dragonflies that is. I am hoping to capture them, but my weapon of choice is not a sword, but a camera and I am seeking only to capture their images. “Mike the Dragonhunter”—I like the sound of that nickname.
Actually, there is a dragonfly that is called a Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylus). As its name suggests, this monster of the dragonfly world specializes in hunting and consuming other dragonflies. Dragonhunters are huge, about 3.3 inches (84 mm) in length. The male Dragonhunter’s clubtail is so large than it hangs down when it is perched and its powerful legs are so long that it looks awkward when it is perching.
Previously, I had seen a Dragonhunter only one time and it was from a distance. I had dreamed of encountering one at closer range for years. Imagine my surprise on Friday when one zoomed by and perched right in front of me when I was exploring a small pond. I stood still in absolute amazement and think I even forgot to breath—I was afraid to make any sudden moves for fear of scaring off the Dragonhunter.
I had a 180 mm macro lens attached to my camera and often it does not let me get close enough to a skittish dragonfly to get a shot. In this case, though, it was a perfect choice and I was able to get some detailed shots from where I was standing. In the shots below, there was only a minor cropping of the image. Wow! It’s almost a dream to fill the frame with a dragonfly.
I was totally psyched after this encounter. Little did I realize that I would encounter two more Dragonhunters that same day, but they will be subjects for other blog postings some time soon.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
You can be sure that Benjamin will be ecstatic when he sees these Dragonhunter photos. The details visible on the first photo when enlarged are stunning! Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
Lovely detail, Mike! Filling the frame!
Stunning photographs, Mike. The way the dragonfly appeared right before you makes me think he’d heard all about you and had been hunting you down in the hope of having his portrait taken.
Whoa! That’s HUGE! never seen any of those, thanks for sharing Mike 🙂
Thanks, Camilla. I don’t think this species exists in Europe. I think I saw one of the largest dragonfly species, the Emperor dragonfly, recently when I was in Brussels.
Benjamin says that you should be called “The Dragonfly Hunter”! He was very surprised to learn that one dragonfly will eat another dragonfly. “Dragonflies should protect each other, he shouldn’t eat his friends!” Benjamin does think that the Dragonhunter is : “Humongous, especially his body and legs. He is awesome!” Thank-you, Mr. Dragonfly Hunter!!
The dragonfly of all dragonflies! Years ago I had one land on my knee while canoeing in the Sylvania wilderness Area in the UP of Michigan,