It is still really early in the dragonfly season in my area, so each one that I am fortunate enough to spot is special to me. I was therefore thrilled to photograph this male Common Baskettail dragonfly (Epitheca cynosura) on Monday as it was hanging vertically from the leaves of a small tree at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. If you double-click on the image, you can see the dragonfly’s tiny feet with which it is clinging to the leaf.
Most of the times in the past when I have seen members of this species, they have been flying out of reach of my camera. According to the Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website, Common Baskettails are hard to spot because they are small with mostly clear wings and spend much of their time hovering high over clearings, making them “probably our least seen “common” dragonfly.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Beautiful catch, Mike, and it’s good to see you back in your favorite element! When I first glanced at your title before opening the post, I mis-read it as “Male Common Basketball.” It gave me my daily chuckle.
Common Basketball? Why not? 🙂
Thanks, Gary. You have seen enough of my postings over the years to know how much I like dragonflies. For me there is something so special about their beauty and aerial skills, combined with their amazing metamorphosis from water-dwelling nymphs with gills to spectacular flying acrobats.
Well done Mike, what a beautiful shot!
Thanks, Liz. I was fortunate to be able to get myself into a position to be able to isolate the subject from the background, but still have enough of the background visible to have a sense of the dragonfly’s environment.