Some of my readers know that I especially love dragonflies with patterned wings and one of my favorites is the Halloween Pennnant (Celithemis eponina). Despite its name, it is a summertime dragonfly and I was thrilled to spot a beautiful female Halloween Pennant yesterday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
The “Halloween” part of its name comes from the orange-brown color of its wings. The “pennant” comes from this predisposition of members of this genus to perch on the very tip of vegetation, which causes them to wave back in forth in even the slightest breeze.
In the photo below, the Halloween Pennant is perched on a stalk of very distinctive Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides). I have frequently seen this kind of grass with red bits hanging from its stalks, but it was only yesterday that I learned what it was called from fellow dragonfly enthusiast Walter Sanford.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Very beautiful and I enjoyed the explanation of the pennant part of the name. I also enjoyed your lovely photos from the post of July 14, 2015. Thanks!
Benjamin is happily catching up on all of the missed posts. After I read the post and he examined the enlarged photo, he said : “This is a very special dragonfly and I love him and his name too!” The Eastern gamagrass is quite interesting. Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!