I love the distinctive coloration of Orange Bluet damselflies (Enallagma signatum), whose name always causes me to smile at the apparent oxymoron. I spotted this couple in tandem earlier in August at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. Many damselflies remain in this position after they have completed mating, with the male at the top attached to the female as she deposits her eggs.
As the name “bluet” suggests, most of the 35 members of the genus American Bluet (Enallagma), the largest damselfly genus in North America, are blue. However, certain species come in other colors including red, orange, and green and the Rainbow Bluet combines red, yellow, and green.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
This picture would make a great puzzle, Mike. There are elements that I had to look at twice to figure out.
Thanks, Dan. My Mom always loved to do jigsaw puzzles and I have many happy memories of working on them when I was growing up. There are companies that make puzzles from photos–the largest size that I found when I did a search is a 2000 piece one that is 27 x 37 inches when complete. Wow!
You have lots of photos that would make a hard puzzle.
🙂
I see the blue in the wings. Strange name though!
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Indeed it is a strange name, but the damselflies are strikingly beautiful nonetheless.
Nice Mike! Great Image! Always fun to see your images!
Thanks, Reed. It’s getting a bit harder to find different species to photograph, but that does not deter me much from looking.
The name brought a smile to me too, and such delightful coloration–yet another one new to my experience. We have, of course, several varieties of bluets around the cabin, but I’ve yet to see any like these.
I love so many of the non-blue damselflies. Most folks know of my fondness for the purple Variable Dancer that is also known as a Violet Dancer. I also really like the tiny Citrine Forktail, a yellow damselfly that I have seen only a couple of times. https://michaelqpowell.com/2018/06/23/citrine-forktail/
Sensational colours Mike, how fantastic!
Thanks, Liz. The colors of these damselflies are so unexpected that they really stand out.