Orange Bluet in September

September 21, 2020 by Mike Powell

Roses are red and bluets are blue, except when the bluets are damselflies, when they might be a different color. Last week while photowalking at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, fellow dragonfly enthusiast Walter Sanford pointed out this Orange Bluet damselfly (Enallagma signatum) that was perched in a tree just above eye level. As he pulled back a branch that was blocking my view, I was able to get this unobstructed shot of the beautiful little damselfly.

You might think that the bright coloration of this damselfly would make it easy to spot, but Orange Bluers are small, less than an inch and a half (38 mm) in length, and elusive. I am lucky if I manage to spot a couple of them during an entire season, so I was thankful for Walter’s sharp eyes.

This Orange Bluet, I think, would make a good mascot for the autumn season, when oranges and browns begin to dominate the natural and manmade landscape and the stores are filled with decorations for Halloween and Thanksgiving. I suspect that some stores are already starting to decorate for Christmas, but I am not ready to give up on the waning moments of summer—for some of us, tomorrow is the autumnal equinox, the first day of fall.

Posted in Autumn, damselfly, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Canon 50D, Enallagma signatum, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Orange Bluet, Orange Bluet damselfly, Tamron 180mm, Woodbridge VA | 22 Comments

22 Responses

on September 21, 2020 at 9:07 am | Reply Jet Eliot

Delightful photo, Mike, with the iridescent wings and that thread of cobweb.
on September 21, 2020 at 11:26 am | Reply Michael Scandling

Beautiful picture. Is that a bit of web attached to it?
- on September 21, 2020 at 12:53 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Michael. I think it is indeed some spider silk. I didn’t see an actual web there, but there seems to be strands of web material all over the place at this time of the year. I don’t mind it, except when I walk into a web stretched across a trail at face level–which has happened to me several times in recent days.
  - on September 21, 2020 at 12:55 pm Michael Scandling
    
    I hate walking in the webs. Do you know how to use content-aware fill in Photoshop? If not, look it up.
  - on September 21, 2020 at 5:19 pm Mike Powell
    
    I do. I deliberately chose to keep the web there–I like it. 🙂
  - on September 21, 2020 at 5:30 pm Michael Scandling
    
    As is your prerogative! It does make a nice counterpoint.
  - on September 21, 2020 at 5:42 pm Mike Powell
    
    If it were a branch, it definitely would have been gone, but I did not find the web silk to be obtrusive, so I kept it.
on September 21, 2020 at 2:17 pm | Reply Laura (PA Pict)

I bet you can predict what I am going to comment on in this photo because I feel like I often say the same things but here goes anyway: I love the use of the strong diagonals in the composition and the way the warm oranges of the damselfly contrast with the cooler greens. The sharpness of the damselfly is wonderful. I love that I can see all those glinting, shimmering panes within the wings.
- on September 21, 2020 at 5:21 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Laura. You often have comments about the composition and colors, but they change based on the images. I really enjoy reading your comments, because they often explain why you like a particular image. A simple “like” would be of much less value to me. 🙂
  - on September 22, 2020 at 7:14 am Laura (PA Pict)
    
    I’m glad you don’t mind my observations even though they aren’t about the creatures or the technical aspects of photography.
  - on September 22, 2020 at 7:49 am Mike Powell
    
    I aspire to create an artistic view of the world through my images, rather than merely capturing images that are technically correct. For me it is kind of like the judging of figure skating in which you get two scores–one for technical merit and one for artistic impression. You are one of a small number of readers who have been really helpful to me in the latter category.
on September 21, 2020 at 2:59 pm | Reply Reed Andariese

Nice image Mike! Great detail!
- on September 21, 2020 at 5:22 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Reed. I love my macro lens. 🙂
on September 21, 2020 at 5:46 pm | Reply Dan Antion

I like how he stands on the edge.
on September 22, 2020 at 4:12 am | Reply krikitarts

I like that you kept the web strand. I hope that its abdomen was diverting it a bit to the side rather than securing its end, so that it was able to fly away again.
- on September 22, 2020 at 7:42 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Gary. I think that I saw it fly away, though I can’t be certain. On that same day I tried to rescue a damselfly caught in a web. It was not wrapped up and it was still moving. I was able to get most of the spider silk off, but I think I was too late. I ended up placing it on a horizontal leaf and covered it loosely with another leaf to provide shade and to hide it from view, hoping it would recover its strength.
  - on September 22, 2020 at 4:30 pm krikitarts
    
    I have done exactly that on several occasions too, and though I’m very fond of spiders, as you know, it still makes me feel good when their snares and their abilities are not up to a thorough and efficient catch and I can free an otherwise-doomed fellow critter. The spider can always repair the web or make a new one.
on September 22, 2020 at 9:20 pm | Reply Wally Jones

Outstanding photograph, Mike! Wonderful detail of this handsome bluet.
- on September 22, 2020 at 9:21 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Wally.
on September 24, 2020 at 6:05 pm | Reply sv-anui.com

I can’t get over how small these are. Would be hard to spot!
on October 12, 2020 at 4:23 pm | Reply Stacy Hampton

♥️
on December 4, 2020 at 1:02 am | Reply Day 14 – Orange you glad I’m still here? | rfljenksy – Practicing Simplicity

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