Cyrano Darner dragonfly

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Cyrano Darner dragonfly

July 6, 2022 by Mike Powell

It is fairly uncommon for me to see a Cyrano Darner dragonfly (Nasiaeschna pentacantha), so when I do, I try my best to get a shot of it. The problem, though, is that they always seem to be patrolling over the water far from the shore and rarely seem to perch.

Last Wednesday I spotted this Cyrano Darner flying around a heavily vegetated area, which made it even tougher to focus on the dragonfly. I was thrilled to be able to get a recognizable shot of the dragonfly, though the background is so cluttered that you may have to look hard to see it in the first image. The second image is a little less sharp, but gives you a clearer view of the dragonfly.

In case you are curious, the species is named for its long, protruding, greenish forehead that is somewhat reminiscent of the long nose of literary character Cyrano de Bergerac. This is the only species that I have encountered where the “nose” helps me to identify it—most of the time I focus on other parts of a dragonfly’s anatomy.

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 50D, Cyrano Darner, Cyrano Darner dragonfly, dragonflies in flight, Fort Belvoir VA, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, Nasiaeschna pentacantha, Tamron 180mm macro | 11 Comments

11 Responses

on July 6, 2022 at 8:16 am | Reply shoreacres

I wondered immediately about that name — thanks for providing the explanation!
on July 6, 2022 at 9:00 am | Reply kewtiebird

Beautiful colors and details on that hovering dragonfly!
- on July 6, 2022 at 10:03 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. The dragonfly may have been hovering a little bit, but mostly it was flying. 🙂
on July 6, 2022 at 4:44 pm | Reply Dan Antion

Those are great shots, Mike.
- on July 6, 2022 at 6:02 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Dan.
on July 6, 2022 at 5:57 pm | Reply sv-anui.com

Great colours in the second shot, Mike. I wondered about the name and can see why now.
- on July 6, 2022 at 6:02 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Chris. Sometimes the species names make sense, as it does here, but sometimes I am left scratching my head in bewilderment.
on July 7, 2022 at 9:19 am | Reply Reed Andariese

Very nice Mike! Never saw one of these dragonflies before!

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on July 7, 2022 at 11:16 am | Reply Louella Lester

Oh, I like that one!
on July 9, 2022 at 4:20 pm | Reply Molly Lin Dutina

I have never seen one of those. I wondered at first if you colored in the second photo? The first does not show all those various colors. Now I will have to watch for it!
- on July 9, 2022 at 9:52 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  You definitely can’t see the colors well in the first shot. Here is a link to a posting from last year that shows the colors a little better, though once again I was shooting from far aways. https://michaelqpowell.com/2021/06/24/so-far-away/