It is not yet the end of summer, but already it seems like the numbers of dragonflies of some species are diminishing. Many of the survivors show signs of wear and tear, with damage to their wings and scratches on their bodies. However, there are some dragonfly species that do not appear on the scene until late in the summer or even in the autumn, so those of us who enthusiastically chase after dragonflies still have plenty to keep us occupied—in my area certain dragonflies are around until December and even occasionally into early January.
Yesterday I was excited to spot one of those late-summer dragonflies at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, a female Russet-tipped Clubtail dragonfly (Stylurus plagiatus). When I first spotted her, she was clinging to some vegetation, as you can see in the second photo. I was so entranced by her beautiful green eyes, though, that I decided to lead this posting with a close-up shot shot of those spectacular eyes that remind me a little of malachite.
In the final two photos, you can clearly see the distinguishing features of the “tail” that are responsible for the common name of the species. As is often the case with clubtail dragonflies, the “club” is much more prominent with the male Russet-tipped Clubtail than with the female. If you would like to see some cool shots of a male for comparison, check out my blog posting from September 2016 entitled “Russet-tipped Clubtail dragonfly.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I really like the last image.
Thanks, Dan. The angle on that show is a bit unusual, but it shows off a lot of details of this cool dragonfly.
A. Maz. Ing.
Last image is top indeed.
Thanks. My favorite varies with my mood–sometimes I like the first image most and sometimes the last one. 🙂
Malachite was also my first thought with that terrific first image. What a beauty. It looks like it’s been dipping its abdomen in a paint pot.
Nice images of this dragonfly Mike! Never saw one of these!
Thanks, Reed. I think this is primarily a southern species and I may live fairly close to its northern limit.
These are all real stunnners, Mike! The colour of the eyes are amazing!
Thanks, Pete. The eye color was the primary reason why I decided to move in for a closer shot. I am always fascinated by a dragonfly’s massive compound eyes, but the color of these was really special.
The eyes are really rivetting! They instantly make me think ‘pounamu’, the precious South Island greenstone, the rights of which are held by Ngāi Tahu. If you’re interested here’s two links I found worthwhile (after I read your post). The Ngāi Tahu pounamu website is https://ngaitahupounamu.com/ and then I found a website that describes the different types of pounamu and their special names, at https://www.waewaepounamu.co.nz/pages/stone-types
I read through a lot of the material that I found using the links that you provided, Liz, and am utterly fascinated by the legends associated with pounamu and its spiritual and cultural significance. It was really cool also to see all of the different colors of pounamu and how they each have different names. It is my sense that in New Zealand, these types of connections are much more valued and revered than in my country.
Most especially to Maori who have a long association with greenstone and treasure it still. I had a feeling you’d enjoy learning about it, I did too (I didn’t know about those different names for different types and found it fascinating). I imagine American Indians have similar deep bonds with the natural environment. I feel their pain for instance at the destruction of what is theirs as the confounded Border Wall is pushed through.
The history of the indigenous people of the US has been mostly a tragic one, with many of the customs and traditions ignored and certainly not honored. From what I know of certain American Indian tribes, there is in fact a real spiritual sense of closeness with the natural world.
[…] a female Russet-tipped Clubtail earlier this month, which I documented in a posting entitled “Russet-tipped Clubtail in August,” but my sightings this week were the first males that I have seen this […]