I wasn’t sure if Uhler’s Sundragon dragonflies (Helocordulia uhleri) would still be around when I set out exploring in Prince William County earlier this month. This species of dragonfly is one of the first to appear in the spring and generally is flying for only a month or so. I had spotted several females on the third of April—see my posting Female Uhler’s Sundragons for details and photos—so I knew that the clock was ticking.
I scoured all of the locations where I had seen them in the past and was about to give up hope when some movement low in the vegetation caught my eye. I was excited to see that it was a Uhler’s Sundragon, my target species. As I tried to control my racing heart and slow down my breathing, I maneuvered into position and was able to capture this image of a handsome male Uhler’s Sundragon. As it turned out, this dragonfly was the only one of its species that I would see that day and I have not seen one since. In this case, though, one was more than enough.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Triumph!
Momentary triumph and then back out to search for the something new and potentially better. It is the curse of the wildlife photographer never to be fully satisfied.
The curse and the inspiration.
I’ve found, again and again, that–if I resist the temptation to think that I’ve stayed with a certain subject long enough and give it just a little more time and patience–a new opportunity comes that would have been missed. Ah, the curse (and the reward)!
Nice Mike! Never saw one of these before! Thanks for sharing!