Perhaps it was a territorial dispute, but whatever the reason, a male Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) came screaming in determined to dislodge a perched male Banded Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis fasciata) on Thursday at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens and achieved his goal. A few moments earlier I had spotted the two dragonflies perched in a moment of peaceful co-existence (with appropriate social distancing), but that moment of tranquility did not last very long.
Can’t we all just get along and live in harmony with one another?
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Great photos, Mike, and a nice message. I hope you enjoy the weekend.
Thanks, Dan. I think that it is going to be a low-key holiday weekend, spent mostly at home trying to stay cool.
Sounds like our plan as well.
Love it!
Nice Mike! Sometimes it does seem like they do not like being close together! Other times it does not seem to matter!
It is a bit of a mystery, Reed. There definitely seems to be competition among males of the same species, but when it comes to different species, I can never predict what will happen.
Fantastic action shots.
Thanks, Laura. It’s a special joy to me when I can capture some action. Although it might have been cool to have frozen the action completely, the blurred wings of the incoming dragonfly accentuate the sense of motion, I think.
I really like the motion blur precisely because it tells us about the movement and the speed of that movement.
Great photos
Thanks, Diana.
Beautiful photos!
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Thanks, Mitzy.
Love your first shot–what a classic!
A lot of hard negotiations were required to convince those two dragonflies to stage that action shot. 🙂
And I strongly suspect you performed those negotiations on the fly.
🙂
Both shots are great, Mike. I think the second is outstanding for having the two species in such similar poses. Am I mistaken or are those a couple of future odes climbing?
I looked closely at them, Steve, and I think they are the discarded exoskeletons (exuviae) of a damselfly and a dragonfly that have already emerged.
I couldn’t quite tell if they were shells or houses. Maybe one of your pennants came from the larger one.
Possibly.My dragonfly friend Walter spends his winters photographing those kind of exuviae with an elaborate macro set-up and going through a set of keys to determine the exact species of the exoskeletons. It’s even harder than identifying them when they are full grown dragonflies. I don’t have the patience for that and prefer to be outdoors, even in the winter.
Cool captures, Mike. Seems like in the last shot they had an audience.
Thanks, Eliza. If you are referring to the objects on the stalks on the right, I believe they are the discarded exoskeletons (exuviae) of a damselfly and a dragonfly that have already emerged.
Exciting photos, love these.. lots of contrasts including colour, the scenes seem so dramatic to me!
It is so cool to be able to capture action, Liz, but definitely a whole lot harder. It is especially nice when it is the interaction between members of two different species.
Apparently not. To judge from humans, obviously not. Ask Darwin…
I love the descriptive names of some dragonflies, like Halloween Pennant. There are so many different kinds and they are so fast. How long have you been interested in identifying and photographing them? What is it about dragonflies that appeals to you so much?
Wow, Nina, what can I say about my love affair with dragonflies. Almost ten years ago, I visited an art show by friend Cindy that featured her floral photography. She loves to capture shots of insects on the flowers and I was entranced by some macro photos that she had taken of dragonflies. I immediately decided that I wanted to be able to take photos like those. Why? Dragonflies are beautiful and acrobatic. They come in all sizes and colors and exist in a variety of habitats. It is hard to explain, but for me there is something almost magical about dragonflies. There is also something challenging and fun about trying to photograph creatures that are only a couple of inches long and spend much of their time flying. I may not me making too much sense, Nina, but hopefully I have given you some insight into why I like dragonflies.
Beautiful photographs, Mike! And to capture the action, just great. I view dragon territory disputes like small children (okay, and some “adults”) – “That’s MY perch! Get off it now!”)
Thanks, Wally. Amen to that. Even in my church, people tend to be territorial–folks have “their” pews–at least they were like that before we moved to virtual worship services via Zoom.