The weather is turning cooler, but there are still some hardy dragonflies around, like this beautiful female Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) that I spotted last Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, perched high on a branch as she basked in the autumn sunshine.
Most of the time when I see an Autumn Meadowhawk it is perched on the ground, so it was a treat to see this one on an elevated perch that gave me a really good look at the shape of her tiny body—Autumn Meadowhawks are only about 1.3 inches (33 mm) in length. This dragonfly species is generally the last one that I see each year and several years I have seen Autumn Meadowhawks in December. From my perspective, the dragonfly season is still far from being over.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Spectacular shot!
Thanks, Suzette.
Nice Mike! Great shot!
I like that you know where to go to squeeze every last bit out of dragonfly season. Mike. This one is pretty, and it’s interesting to see her on bare branches. I guess that will be a more common sight.
You made me look Mike. You got me wondering at the number of North American Dragonflies. They threw out a number around 5,500. Enjoying your pictures and commentary. Thanks
Thanks, John. I went searching for the number of North American dragonflies, because 5,500 seemed pretty high. It is hard to get definitive info, but one site (https://greennature.com/types-of-dragonflies/) notes that there are about 5,000 species of odonata worldwide, about evenly split between dragonflies and damselflies. Within the US, it states that there are about 350 different dragonfly species in seven different dragonfly families. Based on my limited experience, that seems to be about right. I am lucky to live in an area where I can find a pretty good variety of dragonfly species.
We are lucky you live in that area. As for 5,500 it is from the internet so it must be ‘true’. Or not !
Truly a joy to ponder on this photo, Mike. The spider underneath and the web, and the beautiful intricacies of the autumn meadowhawk, make this tiny branch-tip such a busy world.