Mating meadowhawks

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Mating meadowhawks

October 5, 2020 by Mike Powell

I am always excited to see brightly-colored Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum ambiguum) at this time of the year when the overall number of dragonflies is dropping. This couple that I spotted last Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge was doing its best to ensure that I see this species for years to come. The acrobatic pose in the photo, sometimes referred to as the “wheel position,” is used by dragonflies and damselflies when mating, with the male clasping the female by the back of her head.

Posted in Autumn, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Blue-faced Meadowhawk, Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly, Canon 50D, mating Blue-faced Meadowhawks, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sympetrum ambiguum, Tamron 180mm, Woodbridge VA | 11 Comments

11 Responses

on October 5, 2020 at 6:50 am | Reply mitzybricker

Perpetuation of the species–wonderful!

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on October 5, 2020 at 6:58 am | Reply picpholio

At the right place and at the right moment 🙂 Nice shot that shows clearly the difference in color between the male and the female dragonfly.
- on October 5, 2020 at 7:03 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I was fortunately to catch sight of the couple at an earlier perch and tracked them to this perch, which gave me a much better angle of view.
on October 5, 2020 at 9:31 am | Reply John Hric

Wonderful shot Mike ! The detail is fantastic. The wings are like leaded glass.

Thanks
on October 5, 2020 at 3:56 pm | Reply Reed Andariese

Great image Mike! Very colorful with the red Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonflies!
on October 5, 2020 at 6:32 pm | Reply krikitarts

Well-named; I’d say they’re definitely on a roll.
- on October 5, 2020 at 7:33 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  🙂
on October 6, 2020 at 11:57 am | Reply Ellen Jennings

Wonderful capture, Mike, with the action and color! The leaf’s condition is a good hint to the time of year, with a hole in the middle of the shadow.
- on October 6, 2020 at 2:20 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Ellen. I wondered if anyone would comment about the hole in the leaf. It helped to give the shot a kind of 3D look.
on October 8, 2020 at 6:05 am | Reply Steve Gingold

I’ve yet to capture a mating shot of dragon or damselflies so kudos for this nice colorful image, Mike.
- on October 8, 2020 at 6:26 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Steve. They are definitely not shy about it–I try not to feel too much like a voyeur. 🙂