Each September I look forward to the reappearance of three dragonfly species: the Blue-faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum ambiguum); the Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum); and the Fine-lined Emerald (Somatochlora filosa). At a time when most of the other dragonflies are dying off, these species burst onto the scene.
This season, however, “burst” would not be the appropriate verb to describe their activity. At Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, where I have photographed all three species in the past, I have seen Fine-lined Emeralds in flight three times, but have not managed to get a photograph of one. I still have not seen an Autumn Meadowhawk and until last Friday, I have not seen a Blue-faced Meadowhawk.
I was thrilled, therefore, when I spotted this female Blue-faced Meadowhawk on Friday. I had my long telephoto zoom lens on my camera, so trying to focus accurately on my tiny subject was a big challenge, but I am pretty happy with the result. Females of this species have relatively subdued coloration—the males have bright red bodies and blue faces—and they are generally harder to find than the males.
I hope to be able to feature a new photo of a male Blue-faced Meadowhawk soon, but if you are impatient or curious to see what one looks like, check out this posting called Blue-faced Meadowhawk (male) from September 2020.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Cool shot!
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
Very nice Mike! Never saw one of these in my travels!
Great photo, Mike. The branches she’s resting on remind me of the molecular models we used in organic chemistry.
Mike I saw a small red bodied dragonfly in the garden several days ago. It was busy and darting around and I was busy gathering seeds. Did not know about blue faces and I am not sure the dragonfly was in the mood to cooperate. Are there similar small reds ? I am in northern Ohio and live fairly close to the Rocky River Metropark. We get a fair amount of dragonfly visitors. It is not unusual to see one on most days. Thanks
In our area, the Autumn Meadowhawk is much more common than the Blue-faced Meadowhawk. The Autumn Meadowhawk also has a bright red body, but it has brown eyes. I have seen Autumn Meadowhawks as late as December in our area.
Great find and photograph!
Once again, I’m jealous. In our area, we only have one meadowhawk species (Variegated) and I’ve never seen one. 😦
Thanks, Wally. I thought you had all kinds of dragonflies there, so I am surprised to hear you have only Variegated Meadowhawks, a species that I have never seen.
It is so beautiful.
Thanks so much–I love dragonflies.
[…] Female Blue-faced Meadowhawk […]