Dragonfly wings are amazing, but most of the time they are so transparent that it is hard to see all of the tiny little “cells” that make up the wings. Last Friday, though, I captured this shot of an immature male Calico Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis elisa) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge that really highlights the beautiful mosaic-like pattern of its hind wings. Wow!
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Living works of art – wonderful photo, Mike
Yowsers! You captured those highlights so well!
Benjamin is amazed at how different this “younger” Calico Pennant’s coloration is from an “older” one, also how much it looks like a “shemale”! After close examination of the photo he says : “The wings look like they have pretty nets laying over the colors.” A teeny flying insect landed on the railing of the deck earlier this morning as we were throwing peanuts to the squirrels, chipmunks and Bluejays that gather in my backyard and surrounding wooded area. It had the most fluorescent neon green eyes. Benjamin stood quite still and whispered : “Gem, you need a camera with that thingy like Mr. Mike has to make it look humongous. He could take a really good picture.” Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
Thanks again. I was intrigued by Benjamin’s comments about the “shemale.” In fact, the colors of an immature male Calico Pennant like this one are the same as that of a female. As he gets older, he will turn red. I wonder if Benjamin remembers that from a previous posting. If not, he could compare it with the adult male in this older posting. https://michaelqpowell.com/2017/09/09/male-calico-pennant-dragonfly/ . You can tell the gender of most dragonflies by paying close attention to the very tips of their abdomens. I may have to post a photo of a female soon to show that distinction more clearly.
Wow! Stunning shot of the wing detail.
Nice wing detail shot of the wings Mike!
Unbelievable
Wow, that’s amazing!!
Awesome shot, Mike!
What a beauty! ❤️
Definitely “Wow”!
Stunning detail Mike!
Great shot! Beautiful!
[…] and fellow dragonfly enthusiast Walter Sanford. Earlier this month I did a posting entitled Mosaic Wings that featured a photo of an immature male of this same species that had a bright yellow body. This […]