On Thursday I finally photographed my first dragonflies of the season. I had previously spotted Common Green Darners several time, but they don’t really “count” because I was not able to capture images of them. I initially checked out several locations at a stream in Prince William County, Virginia, where I had seen Uhler’s Sundragon dragonflies (Helocordulia uhleri) in recent years and came up empty-handed.
However, I was thrilled when later in the day I spotted Uhler’s Sundragons at several locations further upstream from my previous locations. Uhler’s Sundragons have a brief and very early flight period and are considered rare in our area. They also are habitat specialists and “they need clean, small to medium, rocky forest streams with gravelly and/or sandy substrate, and a decent flow,” according to the wonderful Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website.
These three photos are indicative of the types of photos that I often try to capture of dragonflies. I love to try to get as close as I can and take extreme close-up shots, like the first one. You can easily see the spines on the legs of the dragonfly and even some of the ommatidia, the optical units that make up the amazing compound eyes of the dragonfly.
The second shot of a female Uhler’s Sundragon is a good illustration of the way that I try to separate my subjects from the background. The final shot of a male Uhler’s Sundragon shows more of the habitat in which I found the dragonfly. The background is a little busy, but I like the way that the image shows the transparency of the dragonfly’s wings.
In case you are curious about how I can tell the gender of these dragonflies, one of the primary keys is to look at the tips of the abdomens (the “tail”)—you will probably note the different anatomical shapes if you compare the second and third images.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Super shots Mike.
Thanks. With a bit of luck, I will hopefully be able to find some more spring dragonflies.
Yay for dragonflies!
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Thanks, Mitzy. I unapologetically love dragonflies and it as always exciting for me to see them and, if possible, to photograph them.
Cool
Wonderful captures, Mike. I’m glad you found them.
Thanks, Dan. I know approximately when and where I should be able to find this dragonfly species, but it is still a really big challenge to spot one of these little creatures.
Wonderful first of the year series, Mike! I especially like the composition and detail on the first one.
Thanks, Ellen. My close friends know that is one of my “signature” shots–getting a close-up image. As you can imagine, I had to use my best steadying techniques, because at that close a range the depth of field is really shallow. In 2015 I got a second place in a local photo competition at a marshland park with a macro close-up of the head and shoulders of a dragonfly (https://michaelqpowell.com/2015/12/21/second-place-in-local-photo-competition/).
Great signature to have, Mike! I agree with the judge on all the reasons your winner was a fabulous photo, and that seeing your images in print is a great experience. We have some framed around our house and I do enjoy it when one catches my eye.
Thanks, Ellen. I have a 20×30 inch canvas of that shot hanging on my wall. I love canvases because you can go pretty big without becoming heavy and they don’t require matting, frames, and glass. I was happy to see that a macro shot could compete favorably with other wildlife images. I need to get some more printed. Here is another of the signature-type shots, this time with gray eyes (https://michaelqpowell.com/2020/06/16/gray-petaltail-eyes/).
Nice, and way to go big on your wall! Gray eyes is a beauty, too.
I’ve done a couple of small canvas prints, that I like but for some reason they don’t appeal to Ted. We’ve also had some done some on metal that are pretty amazing the way they work with light, and are also much lighter than a framed print. We had a number professionally framed when we moved to SC, and really enjoy them, but it is an investment.
Professional framing is expensive –you are right to call it an investment.
Fabulous photos.
I had forgotten how impressive your shots are of the ‘smaller’ critters. 👏👏👏👏
Thanks, Ted. Macro photography was my first love when I started getting serious about photography, and I rediscover the joy of macro each spring.
You where very lucky, I did’nt see any yet. Great captures Michael.
Thanks. It is still really early for dragonflies, so I was very fortunate to find some. In this case, I had the advantage of knowing were to look, based on my experience the last few years.
It’s a beautiful dragonfly, Mike and an exciting first sighting of the season!
Thanks, Eliza. I was super stoked that I was able to find some of this somewhat uncommon species. I thought I might be the first person in Virginia with a documented sighting this year, but I later learned that another guy photographed one in the same park a day earlier.
I love seeing the first dragonfly
Nice Mike! Can’t wait to see dragonflies here!
It shouldn’t be long, hopefully.
You captured a lot of detail in these pictures! Very cool.😀👍
Thanks, Suzanne. One of the reasons why I love my macro lens is that it lets me capture a whole lot of details.
[…] little more muted, because I had photographed this species the previous week—check out my posting First dragonflies of the season for details and photos of my adventures that […]