I had forgotten how small Fragile Forktail damselflies (Ischnura posita) are until I spotted one perched in some vegetation last week while I was exploring at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. Even by damselfly standards, Fragile Forktails are tiny at only .8 to 1.1 inches (21-29 mm) in length. The good news is that they are relatively easy to identify, because they have pale interrupted shoulder stripes that look like exclamation points.
I love how the green of the damselfly’s thorax and in its eyes match the soft green palette of the rest of the image. For me, there is something really soothing about this simple portrait of a tiny damselfly.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Very nice Mike! Really stands out against the smooth background!
Thanks, Reed. The fact that the damselfly was so small meant that I was pretty close when I took the shot, which made it easier to separate the damselfly from the background.
Very beautiful photo, Mike. Simply stunning.
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
I love them… but not easy to photograph.
It’s a fun challenge, as far as I am concerned. I tend to be unusually patient, which helps a lot.
That’s a tiny jewel. I’m surprised that the wings are so proportionately small compared to many others.
Eastern Amberwing dragonflies are interesting because they are considered to be wasp mimics. When I see them buzzing around the pond, I don’t think of them as such, but when I saw them in a garden setting, they fit in well with the bees and other flying insects.
I love the tiny hairs on the body and the wings like colorless stained glass, when I enlarge the image.
Thanks, Nina. I usually post photos big enough that folks can enlarge them and see the beautiful details.
Shoulder stripes makes her sound like a military damsel! You caught quite the picture there!
Thanks, Molly. I chuckled at your reference to military rank, having spent twenty years in the US Army.