How do dragonflies decide where to perch? Sometimes I can guess in advance where a dragonfly will choose to perch—many dragonflies like exposed stalks of vegetation at the water’s edge and will often return to the same perch over and over again.
Some dragonflies, though, will choose to perch in unexpected places. I was a little shocked yesterday during a short visit to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge to spot this juvenile Spangled Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula cyanea) perched on a thorny vine. The sharp thorns seemed to be larger than the dragonfly’s head and the distance between them seemed smaller than the dragonfly’s wingspan.
What was the point of his choice of perches? Is it pointless to talk of safer perches? Perhaps the dragonfly is a young thrill seeker who simply likes to live life on the edge—many of us did some things in our youth that in hindsight were incredibly risky if not outright stupid. Maybe instead he calculated that the risk of damage to his delicate wings was outweighed by the additional protection that the thorns provided him from potential predators.
Rather than ponder these deep questions of intent, I focused on photographing the handsome little dragonfly. I really like the way that I captured him in an environmental portrait.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Very nice Mike! Enjoyed seeing it!
Thanks, Reed.
I wouldn’t care where he perched, just spotting a Spangled Skimmer would make my day! Nice photograph, Mike.
Yet another fine article with sharp observations and exactly on point.
Thanks, Wally. Your word plays and puns are always welcome–I often can’t help myself and have a reputation for my bad jokes. 🙂
Wonderful photo. I would say he is a thrill-seeker by the way he perches perfectly between the thorns, with his wings just out of their reach. Loved your musings on intent, – a philosophical perspective with nature as the muse.
Thanks, Suzette. Imagination is such a good thing–too often we adults lose it as we are forced to conform to a norm that says we must act our age.
Yes! Absolutely true.
More questions than answers there, Mike 😜 No matter his intent he supplied you with material for a nice composition.
The composition worked out well indeed, Ellen. I love the photo and it is always a fun challenge to figure out what I want to say about a photo in a blog posting.
One really has to see the photo in full size to appreciate the fine, minute details. Beautitul!
Thanks. I really like the way that my macro lens captures so much detail, like the fuzziness of the vines on which the thorns are present. It is always worthwhile to click on my photos since I post images that are at least a bit larger than necessary.
Honestly, I found the fuzz astounding but didn’t want to detract from the star of the photo, but then I sometimes find a supporting character in a movie more fascinating then the protagonist. Go figure.
Oh, I totally understand. I am innately very curious and it is easy for me to get distracted and to go off on tangents.
I stuck my finger looking at this, Mike. Great photo.
Ouch. Thanks, Dan. I do my best to avoid thorns when I am out in the wild, but somehow I never manage to avoid them all. Today, for example, I found myself in a situation in which I had a thorny vine partially wrapped around my neck.
Yikes- be careful, Mike.
Thanks, Dan. It tends to come with the territory, so I learned to live with a few scratches and insect bites. If I wanted comfort, perhaps I would do portraits of people in an air-conditioned studio. 🙂
Eeeew, yuck. I like your subjects better.
Me too, Dan. When I am out in the wild, the only ego I have to deal with is my own. 🙂
A very skilful spot landing for this beautiful dragonfly!
Thanks, Chris. I guess that dragonflies are capable of precision flying, but to me it seems like doing parallel parking with my car, not something that I enjoy doing, especially when there is just barely enough room to fit in my car. 🙂