I am always excited to see the brightly colored bodies and patterned wings of Calico Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis elisa). Calico Pennnants are small in size, with a length of only 1.1 to 1.3 inches (29-34 mm), and often perch in dense vegetation of fields adjacent to the water, so they are often difficult to spot. I can usually plan on getting scratched up a bit when photographing them and sometimes come away with chigger bites.
Last Friday I was particularly happy when I managed to get shots of both a male and a female Calico Pennant at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Males have a red and black pattern on their bodies, while females (and juvenile males) are yellow and black—the Calico Pennant in the first photo is a male and the one in the second is a female. Both genders have exquisitely detailed patterns on their wings that also help to distinguish them from other dragonflies.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Dear Mike,
great picture 👍 We see this dragonfly much better in this picture than in real nature.
Thanks for sharing
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thanks so much, Klaus. My macro shots indeed often give us a better view of small creatures like this dragonfly than we are often able to get with just our eyes.
Terrific shots. I love the crisp detail on the dragonflies but also the harmonious hues of the images.
Thanks, Laura. I love your lovely alliterative response with the dragonfly details and the harmonious hues–it’s like music to my ears.
Ha! I didn’t even notice I did that. I do, however, love alliteration so it is no small wonder that I use it without realising it.
I too love alliteration. Sometimes it creeps inadvertently into my postings, though often it is intentional.
Well, these got my attention. Some of your best 🙏🙏
Thanks, Ted. I am always so focused on my getting my next shots that I rarely try to objectively assess my images. My only main caveat to you comment would be to extend it by saying these are some of my best “so far.” 🙂
Awesome shots and magnificant dragonfly you discoverd there.
Thanks, Rudi. At this time of the year there are lots of dragonflies, but I still have to search hard for the uncommon ones.
Gorgeous colours Mike, I’ve shared links via twitter and fb.
Thanks for sharing, Liz. I don’t use Twitter much so I often forget to post there. 🙂
I always thoroughly enjoy your detailed photos of dragonflies, Mike, and your informative narrative.
Thanks so much for your encouraging words. At this time of the year, I photograph a lot of dragonflies, but do try to mix it up a bit with butterflies and other subjects too.
Mike, how many nights did you stay up learning all the names of all these gorgeous dragonflies plus that you show us?
As I have stated a number of times, I practice what I call the “law of the Old West”–shoot first and ask questions later. I’ve been shooting dragonflies for nine years or so and over time I have become familiar with identifying most of the dragonflies in my area. As is the case with birds, immature dragonflies and females tend to be harder to identify than mature males. I try to include the Latin names, because I know that in some other countries the common name may be different than here in the US.
Keep up the great shots, and names. 🙂