I am still on the lookout for summer dragonfly stragglers and survivors. There are certain dragonfly species that I expect to see during the autumn, but there are also a few particularly hard individuals from the summer species that are managing to hang on. Over the past week and a half I have spotted one Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans), one Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis), and one Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis), as shown in the photos below.
It is interesting to note that all three of these dragonflies appear to be females. I wonder if female dragonflies tend to outlive their male counterparts, as is the case with humans.
I went looking for dragonflies today, after several frosty nights, and did not see a single dragonfly. The daytime temperature was only about 52 degrees (11 degrees C), which is a bit cold for dragonfly activity. Temperatures are forecast to rise to 68 degrees (20 degrees C) early next week and I anticipate that I will see a few dragonflies then.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Wow, amazing pics for really beautiful creatures. The green is hard to be seen i guess. All the luck in your search
Very nice Mike! Glad you are still having the opportunity to photograph dragonflies!
Mike I am not sure if that last one is the Blue Dasher. Not questioning the ID just a reference. So do the dragonflies use those turn signal lights in flight ? 8)
I am not a 100% sure either, John. I convinced myself that I can see the striping on the thorax that is typical of both male and female Blue Dashers. Though the abdomen is dark, I can see what appears to be the yellow broken dash pattern that is typical of female Blue Dashers. The blue eyes also seem to be right for a Blue Dasher. I wish I could have seen the dragonfly from a better angle, but this was the only angle I got before it flew away.
Nice late season finds!
We’re fortunate to have extended warm weather (I guess non-native Floridians might disagree) and plenty of dragons are still out and about.
Haven’t seen any here for weeks! Lucky you😀
Yesterday the temperatures rose to about 70 degrees and I saw a couple of different species of dragonflies–the season continues.