I was delighted on Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge to see that the Calico Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis elisa) are still with us. Now that we have entered into September, I have begun an unofficial countdown for each species. Every encounter is now even more special, because oI am conscious that it coule be the last one of this dragonfly season.
A couple of weeks ago I featured a beautiful yellow-bodied female Calico Pennant dragonfly (see the posting Female Calico Pennant from 24 August if you need to refresh your memory of this delicate creature). Today I am spotlighting an equally stunning male Calico Pennant. I absolutely love the multi-colored pattern on his hind wings and the bright red markings on his body—the red markings look like a series of little hearts when viewed directly from above.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Such a wonderful species !
Spectacular species.
Very Nice Mike! Great Image!
Such a pretty one!
Love the patterns on the wings.
I love all dragonflies, but there is some especially cool about the ones with intricate patterns on their wings, Louella, like this male Calico Pennant.
Stunning
Thanks, Kit.
Beautiful!
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
Thanks, Mitzy.
Very nice, Mike! He is a real beauty. Do you track a species last activity from year to year? I started keeping notes on IDs and have added some dates and locations, hoping I’ll be more prepared next year.
I should probably keep notes on dates and location, but I am kind of lazy in that regard. My blog entries serve as an unofficial record for me and I can recall pretty well which species I have found at the locations I visit. It kind of helps that I tend to go to only a handful of locations for my shooting. I also rely on a flight calendar on the Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website that shows which on a month by month basis which species are active (http://dragonfliesnva.com/My%20Documents/KevinPDF/pdf/identify/FlightTimeCalendar-NEW.pdf).
LOL, I find that is all good until I can’t remember! I’ve started adding locations and dates to more of my posts to help me down the road. That calendar is a great resource.
Excellent
Thanks, Leo.