I was really happy yesterday morning when I spotted a female Tiger Spiketail dragonfly (Cordulegaster erronea) while exploring a small stream in Prince William County, Virginia and absolutely thrilled when she started ovipositing, giving me a chance to capture these images. For several years I have been trying to photograph this elusive species. In the past I have gotten a glimpse of a Tiger Spiketail on several occasions, but never managed to get a shot of one.
Why have I had such problems? Kevin Munroe, who developed the wonderfully informative website Dragonflies of Northern Virginia, described the species in these words:
“This secretive and seldom seen forest dweller has an almost elven quality. It lives deep in mature woodlands and spends most of its life around tiny, almost invisible spring-fed seepage streams. When startled, it disappears into the leafy canopy, which is also where pairs fly to mate, often hidden for hours. Their larvae live in such small, food-scarce streams that they take several years to mature. Tigers live in smaller streams than any other Northern Virginia spiketail. Their numbers are relatively low, and it’s unusual to see more than one or two together. There’s a certain thrill to finding a Tiger Spiketail at its stream—you know you’ve stumbled upon a clean, quiet and special corner of whatever park you’re exploring.”
Tiger Spiketails fly patrols low above the water of these tiny forest streams. If you find the right kind of stream, you stand and wait, hoping that a Tiger Spiketail will fly by. If one appears, you might have a second or two to get off a shot of the flying dragonfly before it disappears from sight. You repeat the cycle and if all goes well, the dragonfly may come back again within fifteen to thirty minutes or you may never see it again.
I was really lucky yesterday. Earlier in the morning I had had several sightings of a Tiger Spiketail, but had gotten only a single very blurry shot. When a Tiger Spiketail flew into view, I immediately started tracking the dragonfly visually and I was shocked when she began to dip the tip of her abdomen in the water to deposit an egg, a process known as ovipositing. What this meant was that she would hang around in a spot for several seconds and then move upstream a bit and repeat the process.
Although I had the Tiger Spiketail in sight, getting a decent shot was a challenge. In addition to her lateral movements, she was also moving up and down as she deposited her eggs. Much of the stream was in the shade or the light was heavily filtered, so it was hard to get enough light to capture a moving subject. I managed to get a few reasonably sharp action shots of the Tiger Spiketail. If you double-click on the first image, you can actually see the dragonfly’s “spiketail” and other details including its beautiful markings and striking green eyes. The second shot gives you a better view of the environment in which I found this dragonfly, which is considered rare in the area in which I live.
Whenever I manage to capture of a new species, I am so excited that I do not worry much about the quality of the images. Before long, though, the excitement dies down and I will hit the trails again, determined and hopeful that I will be able to get some better shots. That crazy, quixotic vision is what drives most of us nature and wildlife photographers to go out repeatedly, always in search of the next best photo.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I have seen a similar one over a small pond in the wild garden and biotope of my sister-in-law in Lower Bavaria, Germany, distance partially only 30 cm. But no chance to make a photo due to hectical flight manouevres.
I can tell you from much personal experience that it takes a lot of patience and persistence to photograph a flying dragonfly. It is fun to watch the aerial acrobatics of a dragonfly even if it is impossible to capture an image.
I have the picture in my mind 🙂
Nice Mike! It is fun to find new types to photograph!
Thanks, Reed. Because of its very specific habitat requirements, the dragonfly species is not one that you are likely to just run into–you almost have to be searching for it. That is not my normal mode of operation, but from time to time I will go out to specific locations with specific species in mind. Most of the time I am more of an opportunistic shooter, walking around and photographing whatever I happen to see.
….fascinating. Both the detailed description and arresting photographs are intriguing and arresting, Mike.
Thanks, Lance. You probably have noticed that I enjoy expressing myself in words as much as I do in my photographs.
I admire your patience. We were hiking at Hocking Hills and a damselfly was using one plant for its perch. The light was so so and there was not much room from the perch to the trail so trail traffic was also an issue. While the damselfly co-operated the rest of the situation did not. I did get a picture. Just not one that does justice to the damselfly. Thanks for sharing your pictures.
Thanks, John, for sharing your experience. Anyone who is crazy enough to shoot wildlife and nature photos knows well that conditions are less than optimal most of the time. Trail traffic is a huge issue, so I try to go to relatively remote locations whenever possible. Lighting and footing and backgrounds can all be challenging. We do the best we can. If the subject is uncommon, I’ll sometimes share images that are not up to my usual standards.
It’s a joy to hear you describe your Tiger Spiketail adventure, Mike. It is similar to what we do as birders, and your words “crazy, quixotic vision” say it all. Then when I got down to the photo I was entranced with the beauty of this creature. The enlarged version with the spiked tail, the unusual color patterns and of course the body and gossamer wings are wonderful. I enjoyed the description from Kevin Munroe’s website was also fun. But most of all, I was utterly thrilled for you to have received the true delight and extra reward of witnessing the ovipositing. Thank you for this gift today.
Thanks for your wonderful comments, Jet. I have some friends who are avid birders and have seen them drive for several hours for the possible chance of seeing an uncommon bird, knowing full well that they may come back empty-handed. Some of your posts, Jet, describe your searches for unusual creatures during your travels, enduring discomfort and boredom as you wait and hope. For nature enthusiasts like us, there is rarely any kind of instant gratification, which is why a lot of people won’t do it. Yet somehow they think that we are “lucky” when our efforts finally result in us seeing something unusual. In my experience it is usually knowledge, patience, and perseverance that bring about results more often than sheer luck.
I agree completely, Mike. And for many of us, like you and me, we find joy in whatever comes along, even if it is not our target creature. Cheers, my friend.
Wowza, these are really special photos! We have lots of Dragonflies in my backyard at my house. There is a stream and lots of trees behind the fence in my backyard and more trees on one side. We find different Dragonflies floating in the new swimming pool and that makes me sad. I don’t think we have this kind of Dragonfly. I never saw any Dragonfly laying their eggs but that must be so awesome to see. Thank you, Mr. Mike! Bye!
Thanks, Benjamin. When a female dragonfly deposits an egg, she usually does it by tapping the tip of her abdomen in the water repeatedly. It is definitely cool to see. There are some other dragonfly species that put their eggs in vegetation or even the wood of a rotten log instead of in the water. Here’s a link to a posting I did of a Swamp Darner depositing here eggs in a log. (https://michaelqpowell.com/2019/04/23/female-swamp-darner-in-action/).
Outstanding, Mike. Glad that you found this apparently rarely seen dragonfly.
What a rewarding account of a most challenging encounter, Mike. I’m happy that you chose to provide us with these images, even though they may seem, to some, not up to your usual standards. I know full well how hard it can be to get what you want in an encounter such as this, when you pray for a moment’s inactivity or a sudden ray of sunshine or a momentary lull in the gusts–but you find sometimes (as in this instance) you just might find you get what you need.
She is very exotic looking! What a nice surprise for you to finally capture her image! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks, Molly. I’d like to get some sharper shots, but that is tough when the dragonfly keeps moving.