It was pretty cool to spot this male Aurora Damsel damselfly (Chromagrion conditum) on Friday while I was exploring in Prince William County. I love the accents of brilliant yellow on the sides of its upper body that make this damselfly stand out from many others that are also black and blue.
I also managed to get a shot of an Aurora Damsel couple in what is known as the “tandem” position. The female of this species, the lower damselfly in the second photo, also has the yellow accents, although her body coloration is more subdued, as is often the case with damselflies and dragonflies.
When they are mating, damselflies join together in a heart-shaped position, known as the “wheel position,” and afterwards the male will often remain attached to the female, including while flying, as she lays her eggs. He does this by retaining his grip on the front part of the female’s thorax, as you can see in the second photo, using claspers located at the tip of his abdomen.
If you have never seen the distinctive sidewards-heart that damselflies make when mating, check out a posting that I did last year entitled Sidewards heart that shows a pair of Ebony Jewelwing damselflies forming the aforementioned heart.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Fantastic shot, Michael.
Thanks, Tricia. I love these little beauties. 🙂
awesome…
Thanks.
Nice captures, Mike, and thanks for of the explanation of the tandem position. I’ve recently seen this where they were hanging off a leaf towards the water but couldn’t quite figure out what they were doing; I’ll go back and look at the pictures I took.
It is sometimes tricky to tell what is going on. Some damselflies like to lay their eggs in vegetation and others do so in the water. This posting shows a damselfly ovipositing on a tree. https://michaelqpowell.com/2017/09/02/damselflies-in-brussels/
Yes, even when enlarging a picture! It’s rather amazing that any of the eggs survive. Nice pictures from you Brussels experience.
Thanks. Nature is amazing and even more so as I learn more about its mysteries.
Amazing capture, Mike.
Thanks, Dan.
Nice catch, Mike. I have yet to photograph mating odes so envy this shot. 🙂
Thanks, Steve. Even though I feel a bit like a voyeur, I am never reluctant to photograph a pair of mating odes.
Delightful to see your latest damselfly photos, Mike. I never cease to be amazed at 1) The remarkable detail in your photos, and 2) how much you know about these fascinating insects!
Thanks for the cool look back at the sidewards heart.
Thanks so much. I love to try to capture as much detail as I can, which is one reason why I love to use my long macro lens. I started off not knowing much about the kinds of insects and birds that I photograph. However, I am innately curious and wanted to be able to identify those subjects. Over time I have accumulated a lot of knowledge about many of the insects, especially the dragonflies, that can be found in my local area.