I was quite surprised and delighted to spot a male Calico Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis elisa) yesterday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I thought I would have to wait another couple of weeks to find one of these tiny dragonflies that are only 1.3 inches (33 mm) in length, but perhaps our recent warm weather prompted this dragonfly to emerge early.
The Calico Pennant is one of a small group of dragonflies known as “pennants.” As you can see from these two images, pennant dragonflies like to perch on the very tips of flimsy stalks of vegetation where they are whipped about by the slightest breezes like pennants in the wind.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Nice job catching what I’m guessing was a moving target.
Thanks. There was only the slightest bit of wind, so it was not too bad, Dan. The bigger challenge was the mucky, watery patch of land at the edge of the pond in which I had to stand in order to get close enough to get the shots. Wet feet were a small price to pay, though, to photograph this early-appearing Calico Pennant.
Super Photos👍
Thanks, Werner.
Fantastic shots and what a beauty.
Thanks, Tricia.
I love these shots! Although you said the wind wasn’t bad, I can’t help but imagine a huge gust of wind blowing in his face. 😀
I guess that wind is kind of relative. I was firmly planted on the ground, so the wind was not an issue, but if I had been hanging on to a frond, I am sure my perspective would have been different. 🙂
Perfectly named (and photographed)!
Thanks, Eliza. With a little luck, I will be able to photograph the Halloween Pennant and maybe the Banded Pennant. 🙂
Both are great images and really capture why they have the name pennant. What I like in particular about the second image is the warm hues in the background that accentuate the colours of the dragonfly and also the sense of movement in the background. The dynamism of that adds to the sense of the dragonfly clinging onto the stick in a gust of wind.
Thanks, Laura. I cropped the second photo to be long and skinny to emphasize the fragility of the stem to which the dragonfly. As always, I love your descriptions of what you like about certain photos–they definitely reflect the eye of an artist.
Oh I already loved the top photo but the vertical shot is also incredible with the colour and clarity, and a fabulously complementary abstract background!
I think you can see, Liz, why I decided I needed to post both of the photos. Both of them are really cool in somewhat different ways.
They absolutely are really cool! Love them.
Nice, Mike, and I also especially like that second image. The composition and the wavy background really make it special.
The top photo shows it almost camouflaged with the spider web and what looks like a spent bud or exoskeleton from something? Love the imagery of pennant in the wind!
I think that it is a spent bud, but I could not get close enough to be sure. The vegetation was growing out of the water and as it was I was standing in a couple of inches of muck when I took the photos–sometimes you have to suffer for your art. 🙂
Both are very nice, Mike. I like both backgrounds.
Thanks, Steve. I really like them both too and was happy that I was not forced to choose to post only one of them.
Nice Mike! Always enjoy seeing your dragonfly images!