Generally I like to photograph dragonflies on natural perches, not on manmade ones. However, every time I visit Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge I always check a piece of rebar that sticks out of the water of Mulligan Pond, because I have found that dragonflies love this perch. On Wednesday I spotted this young male Common Whitetail dragonfly (Plathemis lydia) on that perch, the third dragonfly species that I have photographed there—I have also photographed a Slaty Skimmer and an Eastern Amberwing at that spot.
I really like the juxtaposition of the natural and manmade elements in this image and the ways that the markings of the rebar seem to mirror those on the abdomen of the dragonfly. As this young male Common Whitetail matures, his body will grow whiter as he develops a white powdery substance often referred to as “pruinosity.”
Although Common Whitetails are the most common dragonfly species in my area, I never get tired of trying to get shots of them.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
The rebar almost looks like an iron replica of a stem…almost. 🙂 And the Whitetail looks natural. 🙂 I still haven’t seen a dragonfly although until today it has been more than warm enough for them to be flying.
Your dragonflies will certainly come, Steve. We have moved through our spring dragonflies and most of the summer ones have already appeared.
At ;east in this photo, the rebar looks like it belongs there.
There are a fishing platforms not far from the spot where the rebar is sticking out and I have always figured that it was somehow related to that construction.
I really like the photo for all the reasons you outlined, Mike, esp. the echoing of rebar pattern and abdomen.
Just fabulous!
Love the wings on this one. Really pretty! (And I’m a sucker for rebar.) Nice image!
Thanks. Clear dragonfly wings are cool, but I am really drawn to the species that have patterns on their wings.
Nice, crisp capture, Mike, and that solid background really works here.
We have a similar pice of rebar sticking up in one of the ponds I frequent and am also amazed at what lands there, with so many “natural” options close by.
Thanks, Ellen. I worry that the rebar gets hot in the sun, but the dragonflies don’t seem to matter. At certain locations when I am not happy with the available perches, I will jam sticks into the mud to create some additional one and sometimes the dragonflies start using them almost immediately.
I’ve seen them on other man-made items, too, and you are right—they don’t seem to care. Interesting, almost like they want to test out the new thing in their environment 😆.
Rebar never looked so good!
I have sometimes argued that a good photographer can make almost anything look good. 🙂