Quite a few dragonfly species in my area are blue in color, so I have to pay a lot of attention to other details to identify them, such as the patterns on the thorax (the “chest”) and on the wings. I was thrilled to photograph the male Yellow-sided Skimmer (Libellula flavida) in the second photo in mid-June while I was exploring a small pond in Prince William County, my first sighting ever of the male of this species.
I had previously been alerted to the presence of this relatively uncommon species there by a fellow photographer, who happened to show up while I was searching. When a dragonfly perched on a distant fallen tree in the water, my friend pulled out his binoculars, looked at it, and said it was a Yellow-sided Skimmer. I remarked to him that I had photographed a dragonfly on that very same perch earlier in the day.
He told me the critical thing to look for was the yellow on the leading edges of the wings. When I returned home and checked my photos, I saw the yellow on the wings and was a little embarrassed t0 realize that I had photographed my first male Yellow-sided Skimmer without knowing it at the moment I had taken the shot.
Two days later I returned to the same pond with fellow dragonfly enthusiast Walter Sanford and we spotted male and female Yellow-sided Skimmers, including the handsome male that is featured in the first photo. If you want more details of my adventures that day, including a shot of a female Yellow-sided Skimmer, check out my recent posting Yellow-sided Skimmer (female).
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
That last photo is fantastic, Mike.
Thanks, Dan. I go back and forth in trying to decide if I like the first photo more or the second one.
My first thought before I started reading was, another blue dragonfly? This is a beauty with that yellow, Mike, and very well captured!
I have learned to pay careful attention to everything I see and to try to photograph as much of it as I can. This was not the first time when I learned that I had photographed something more unusual than I realized at the time.
I’ve had that experience, when that stray movement lead to something much better than what I was originally watching! It’s part of the fun of being out there.
Increadible how many different dragonflies you showed us here on your blog!
Always nice captures and interesting information !
Very nice Mike! It is always fun to photograph a dragonfly that is not one of the usual ones we seem to always see!
I totally agree with you, Reed. While I enjoy photographing the “usual suspects,” there is definitely something special about finding a new one.
I love the sharpness of the second picture, it almost pops out. I like the color of the body, seems almost like velvet. Very Nice!