Sidewards heart

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Sidewards heart

June 23, 2020 by Mike Powell

Ebony Jewelwings (Calopteryx maculata) are everywhere in some of the forest streams I like to explore at this time of the year. Still, I love when I can get a good angle on these beautiful damselflies when they are in wheel position and forming a sidewards heart, as was the case with this pair that I spotted last Thursday in Fairfax County.

Yes, as some of you already know, the damselflies are in the process of mating, with the male on the right and the female on the left.

Posted in damselfly, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Calopteryx maculata, Canon 50D, Ebony Jewelwing, Ebony Jewelwing damselfly, Fairfax County Virginia, mating ebony jewelwings, sidewards heart, Tamron 180mm | 11 Comments

11 Responses

on June 23, 2020 at 9:14 am | Reply Dan Antion

Excellent photo, John.
- on June 23, 2020 at 10:49 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Dan.
on June 23, 2020 at 9:36 am | Reply blhphotoblog

Lovely capture Mike!
- on June 23, 2020 at 10:51 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. The damselflies tend to be a bit skittish, so maneuvering to get the proper angle was quite a challenge, but it worked out pretty well, both artistically as well as technically.
on June 23, 2020 at 2:37 pm | Reply Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography

Wow, that’s quite a shot 😁😁
- on June 23, 2020 at 4:08 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Ted. It’s funny how close it is to the image on the front of the guide that I use for damselflies–Ed Lam’s Damselflies of the Northeast. The position of the damselflies is definitely eyecatching.
on June 23, 2020 at 3:19 pm | Reply Michael Scandling

Stunning!
- on June 23, 2020 at 4:08 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Michael.
on June 23, 2020 at 5:26 pm | Reply sv-anui.com

Stunning, Mike! What a lucky find!
on June 24, 2020 at 7:05 am | Reply krikitarts

I heart this too!
on May 2, 2021 at 7:42 am | Reply Aurora Damsel damselflies | Mike Powell

[…] that damselflies make when mating, check out a posting that I did last year entitled Sidewards heart that shows a pair of Ebony Jewelwing damselflies forming the aforementioned […]