Last week as I was exploring Prince William County, I encountered this large dragonfly perched in a tree overhanging a fairly large stream. When I captured these images, I was not sure what kind of dragonfly it was. After consultations with some experienced dragonfly experts, I learned that this is a female Dragonhunter dragonfly (Hagenius brevistylus).
Dragonhunters are among the largest dragonflies in our area. Unlike darners, another group of large dragonflies that fly almost continuously as they seek prey, dragonhunters prefer to perch and wait patiently before they strike. As their name suggests, they specialize in hunting other dragonflies, reportedly including members of their own species.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Beautiful colour against the dark background!
Thanks, Liz. The actually background was not quite so dark when I took the shot, but the sunlight shining on the dragonfly was so bright that the dragonfly would have been really overexposed if I had done a “correct” explosure for the background.
A lot of my floral shots have black backgrounds for precisely this reason. That, and the fact that I really like black backgrounds. Thus, your first shot really knocks me out.
There is a certain amount of drama that comes from having that black background. I too like it.
There’s a certain amount of show biz involved with some shots.
Oh warriors! Cannibals! Yikes! RUN! Or rather, fly!!