Recently I did a posting featuring a beautiful Violet Dancer (Argia fumipennis violacea), the uniquely purple damselfly that is featured in the banner of my blog. Today I thought that I would give equal time to several of the other dancers in my life. Damselflies in the genus Argia are known by the whimsical name of dancers, because of the distinctive jerky form of flight they use which contrasts with the straightforward direct flight of bluets, forktails, and other pond damselflies.
The damselfly in the first photo is a male Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta) that I spotted perched on a rock in the water while I was exploring a stream in Prince William County. I can tell that this is a rather young male, because he still has a lot of color on his thorax. Mature males turn whitish in color—you can see the powdery coating beginning at the tip of its abdomen.
The next two photos show a male Blue-fronted Dancer (Argia tibialis) that I found in the vegetation next to a small pond at Jackson Miles Abbot Wetland Refuge. This species is quite distinctive because the thorax is almost completely blue, with only hairline black stripes on its shoulders and the middle of its back.
One of the things that I particularly enjoy about photographing nature is the incredible diversity that I encounter. Even within a single species, I can spot unique beauty in each individual that I encounter, especially when I slow down and look closely. The same thing is true about people—we should celebrate and respect our diversity and engage with people who may look or act or think differently. As the Lee Ann Womack country music song says, if you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Given the narrow depth of field these images are fabulous! The focus and detail zoomed in the first two especially is brilliant, well done Mike!
Thanks. You obviously have a lot of experience with macro photography and looked closely at my shots. Depth of field is always a huge issue. Sometimes I can maneuver around to get most of my subject in focus, but often I have to settle on having the most important parts in focus, like the eyes.
Do you focus bracket/ stack Mike or do the insects not still still enough for that?
I have focus stacked images of insects a few times with a limited amount of success, using Photoshop’s “stacking” capabilities. Most of the time, though, I shoot subjects that are skittish or possibly moving, so I don’t have the luxury of taking my time to carefully compose my shots in the way that stacking demands.
I understand, even modest wind can be a problem with fungi creating halo’s around the edges, it’s more likely an animal might move and you don’t have much time to mess with a tripod. I appreciate your skill 😀
I so enjoyed this delightfully intimate look at the dancers in your life” Mike. Enjoyed reading of your experiences and learning about the dancers and their maturing stages. Your ability to spot that first one on the rock is impressive, and each photo is truly striking in clarity. These are magnificent creatures and really a treat to see them up close. I double-clicked on each one and marveled, especially that second photos.
Thanks, Jet. I tend to be pretty passionate about these little creatures and I think that it shows in both my photos and my prose. Most of the time I depend on movement to detect my subjects, as was the case for the damselfly on the rock. The second image is a lot of fun, because the damselfly seems to be looking at me and smiling. The perspective is a bit of an unusual one and the most distant parts of the damselfly are out of focus because of the shallow depth of field. I like the artistic effect, though my more scientifically-minded friends prefer the side view in which everything is in focus. 🙂
Very nice series Dancers Mike! Enjoyed seeing them!