My dragonfly season is not over yet! Yesterday, the 1st of October, I managed to get my first good shots of the year of Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum ambiguum). This species emerges a bit earlier in the season, but generally does not make an appearance until September. (Fellow dragonfly enthusiast Walter Sanford posits that they spend that interim time in the tree tops.)
I really love the combination of colors of the Blue-faced Meadowhawk—I find the colors to be striking without being garish. You might think that these colors would make it easy to spot these dragonflies, but they are small in size with a length of 1.4 inches (36 mm) and are found only in very specific habitats.
I have been searching unsuccessfully for these little beauties the last few weeks at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, my most frequent “habitat,” and ended up returning to Huntley Meadows Park, where I had seen them in the past. Huntley Meadows Park is a wonderful county-run marshland refuge and used to be my favorite location for nature photography. In recent years, though, the park has become a victim of its own success and there are often mobs of photographers on its boardwalk through the wetlands.
Perhaps I am a little selfish, but I do not like to share my wildlife experience with a large group of other people. For me, my treks with my camera are most often a solitary pursuit, a meandering one-on-one experience with nature.
What about you? Do you prefer to experience nature alone or with others?
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I’m definitely a ‘loner’.
You may enjoy meandering alone (as do I) but it occurs to me you do share your wildlife experiences with a large group of other people, and you do it right here. If I were on the boardwalk with you, I’d still be looking around frantically, saying, “Where? Where?” Here, I can say, “Look at that!” and enjoy it.
It’s funny, but just after I published the posting, I had some thoughts similar to those that you expressed in your comment. I really do like to share the results of my wildlife experience with others. However, it often takes a lot of focused concentration to get the shots or to simply experience the moment and groups tend to be loud and unpredictable.
Mary Oliver has a poem on precisely this subject that I’ve tucked into my files for later use. If I can find a link to it online, I’ll share it with you.
I love that last close-up, Mike
Fantastic portraits. You’ve really captured those wonderful, bright colours and I like the contrast between those bold colours and the neutral background. Nice triangular composition too.
I am with you on the whole solitary thing. When I got out for a walk in the woods or some other natural landscape, I actually get quite annoyed when I find other people are around. I mean, maybe one or two in passing doesn’t fuss me but groups of people feels like it is disturbing my plans. Definitely selfish but I cannot deny feeling that way.
Thanks, Laura. I always enjoy reading your comments, because your perspective tends to be that of an artist rather than that of a photographer. (We photographers sometimes focus too much on technical aspects of our images more than on artistry.) It sounds like we are kindred spirits on our preference for solitude and I definitely understand the sense of annoyance with the presence of others that you described.
Very Nice Mike! That is One Colorful Dragonfly! I usually go with my wife, but I also like going alone. That way I can concentrate on my photo subjects.
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