Foretaste of autumn

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Foretaste of autumn

July 1, 2018 by Mike Powell

With the temperatures today reaching almost 100 degrees (38 C), I long for the cooler weather of autumn, my favorite season of the year. The aptly named Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) is generally one of the last surviving dragonfly species each year and I was therefore a bit surprised last week when I spotted this young female Autumn Meadowhawk. The very clear wings and pale body coloration are an indication that it had only recently emerged.

Summer, though, is the prime season for dragonflies and I hope to be able to take advantage of this season to see lots more of them. I’ll just have to make sure that I pace myself and stay well hydrated as we move through a period of exceptionally hot weather.

Posted in Autumn, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Autumn Meadowhawk, Autumn Meadowhawk dragonfly, Canon 50D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sympetrum vicinum, Tamron 180mm, Woodbridge VA | 8 Comments

8 Responses

on July 1, 2018 at 8:59 pm | Reply kenneturner

Mike,

The ads on your blog lessen the quality of your images and content.
- on July 1, 2018 at 9:01 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, kenne, for the feedback. They were added recently and I feared that I would get that kind of response, so I am turning them off.
on July 1, 2018 at 9:11 pm | Reply svtakeiteasy

Beautiful image, Mike. On a less positive side, I too find that the multiple ads in your posts lately detract from your work.
- on July 1, 2018 at 9:16 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Recently when I ran out of free space on my blog and had to purchase a plan, WordPress offered the option of including ads, so I thought I would give it a try. I appreciate that you are comfortable enough with me, Chris, to provide this kind of direct feedback. I have turned off all of the ads.
  - on July 1, 2018 at 10:02 pm svtakeiteasy
    
    I think it’s a good move, Mike.
on July 1, 2018 at 9:25 pm | Reply shoreacres

It’s interesting that you’ve highlighted an autumn species. During a little excursion today, I found colonies of Indian paintbrush — one of our early spring flowers. I’m not sure if they are late or early, but they were as lovely as this dragonfly. I like the way the dragonfly’s color is complemented by the leaf; I wonder if the insect chose it for camouflage?
- on July 1, 2018 at 9:30 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  This has been a crazy spring/early summer for us and some species have been coming out later than usual. I think that for the most part newly emerged dragonflies choose safety over camouflage as they wait for their wings to harden.
on July 2, 2018 at 6:53 am | Reply Dan Antion

Nicely done, Mike. Yes to staying hydrated. The heat & humidity are an oppressive combination.